By Kira Cohen
Features editor
@Mitzpeh
Junior sociology major Devorah Savitsky and senior physics major Nathan Fredman met up at Cold Stone Creamery on Route 1 April 26. Both Savitsky and Fredman are Honors Humanities alumni. Although Mitzpeh Matchmaker dates are typically “blind,” the two were surprised to find that they actually knew of each other from the honors program. They had never been close before, but the Mitzpeh Matchmaker certainly brought them together. Here is their story.
Was this your first blind date?
Devorah: Yeah *laughter*…it was.
Nathan: Yeah, it was.
What inspired you to sign up?
D: Ben Douek and Kayla Kaplan’s Mitzpeh Matchmaker article was one of the funniest pieces of writing that I have ever read in my entire life, and I just wanted to be a part of that.
N: I saw it in the Mitzpeh and I decided it looked fun … also, free ice cream is always a good thing. And it was pretty good ice cream, I’ve got to say.
What were you expecting about the date going in?
D: If I know who I’m going on a date with, I’m the type of person who will figure out conversation topics. If we talk about this thing, what will my reply be, what will I have to say, what is in the news … [with a blind date], you can’t do that … so I had no expectations and a lot of anxiety.
N: What was I expecting? Well, I mean I was expecting a person…
What did your date’s order say about their personality?
D: Oh my gosh, I don’t remember what he ordered. It was four days ago! I’m pretty sure he got vanilla ice cream in a sugar cone with … some sort of chocolate filling. I don’t think that’s exact. Nonetheless, I remember thinking like “aw, that’s a really sweet mix.” So I suppose he’s kind, but also pretty grounded, because it wasn’t too out there. So yeah, grounded guy.
N: Well, she ordered the sorbet. So I mean it wasn’t really a choice, I don’t think, because she’s vegan.
What did you talk about?
D: We actually had a lot of good conversation … we talked about the people we knew in [Honors Humanities], we made fun of the program a little bit, but in a very loving way. We talked about movies. We actually left Cold Stone and ended up walking around Calvert Hills … Nathan actually took an agriculture class at Maryland, so he was pointing out what all the different types of plants were. And we talked about the layout and the racism off which College Park was built.
N: We saw a bunch of flowers, and we talked about some people we knew, we talked about like stuff from home, we talked about a little bit of politics, movies…
What surprised you?
D: That Nathan had a beard! Because I haven’t seen him since he didn’t have one! So when I first saw him it took me a second, before I realized like oh my god, that’s Nathan and he has a beard and it looks so good! Wonderful!
N: I obviously wasn’t expecting to see Devorah, because like, you don’t expect to see somebody you know.
How would you rate your date, on a scale of one to Beyoncé and Jay-Z?
D: I’d give it a solid Solange.
N: Didn’t they have an affair or something? Maybe I’m misremembering. That was Kanye? I don’t know much about Jay-Z, really. I know Obama likes him so I guess he’s a good guy. I’d say an eight.
Do you think you will go out again?
D: Probably on some more walks.
N: Maybe. I don’t know. That’s the future. Only the future can know that.
How has this date changed your life?
D: Nathan and I have known each other for like three years now, but we never actually became friends, so it’s sort of like a reminder that like oh hey, go outside your comfort zone a little bit, go talk to the people in your life that are cool and peripheral that you might not talk to all the time because they’re pretty cool. They know a lot about plants.
N: Oh, it really changed my life. Two days of ice cream in a row. I at least put on some pounds. That’s always a good change in my life.
