Kol Rinah will welcome researcher and columnist Leah Hakimian June 24 and 25. Hakimian a former St. Louisan who now lives in Jerusalem, will share her expertise on how Jewish couples meet and marry. 

At 11 a.m. Saturday, June 24, Hakimian will discuss “From Dating to ‘I-Do,’  the Significant Role of Friends, Family and Community,” based on personal interviews she conducted with more than 130 married couples. At 12:30 p.m. Saturday following Kiddush, she will teach and share more stories of how Jewish couples come together to build lasting relationships. On Sunday, June 25, starting at 10 a.m., Hakimian will be available at Kol Rinah for free and private consultations. The weekend is sponsored by Gloria Feldman and Family.

Hakimian, who earned a Ph.D. in education from St. Louis University, researches romance and matrimony and is a passionate advocate for the role of community in helping Jewish singles find mates. She documents her findings in her web column the love stories of the couples she interviews. The column appears in The Jewish Week newspaper and on her blog, Godsend, published in The Jerusalem Post.  She began writing her column in 2006 for the St. Louis Jewish Light. 

Hakimian, the widow of Yusef Hakimian, was born and raised in St. Louis, the daughter of the late Jacob and the late Sarah Elbaum.  All were deeply involved in the former BSKI, one of Kol Rinah’s legacy congregations. Before moving to Jerusalem in 1998, she served as principal of Solomon Schechter Day School of St. Louis, Associate Executive Director of Central Agency for Jewish Education, and founding director of Connections St. Louis, a community-sponsored Jewish matchmaking program. In Jerusalem, she became founding director of Scopus, a Jewish matchmaking program with international clientele. 

To book a private session with Dr. Hakimian on Sunday, June 25, email [email protected]. For more information about Hakimian or the weekend of activities, contact Debbie Igielnik at [email protected].

Kol Rinah is located at 829 North Hanley Road in University City.  For more information, contact the Kol Rinah office at 314-727-1747 or [email protected].