Love Under the Stars!

Well...it finally happened. After two years of offering a free star tour adventure to anyone who proposed on one, Pinhus Dashevsky from Teaneck, New Jersey finally took us up on our offer. On Monday, February 13 Pinhus proposed on a star tour to his bashert, Lara Porter. They were in Israel on a school break holiday. Pinhus had sent me email in advance to arrange the details. I had their special songs and played one on my iPad as I walked I walked away to give them some privacy. I still managed to hear Pinhus excitedly ask, "Will you marry me?" (I always wondered how that was done, and No, I wasn't eavesdropping; he said it very loudly, so excited was he.) I didn't hear her answer but it must have been Yes, as I was soon called back, and we celebrated with a champagne L'chaim under the desert sky.

Pinhus Dashevsky and Lara Porter are engaged under the starry skies of Mitzpe Ramon.

Did I say we had a star tour? Actually, it was more like a moon, Jupiter and cloud tour, since those were the only celestial sights visible on this unusually cloudy night. But the clouds were unusual and quite beautiful, as we got to enjoy another ring, besides the engagement ring - a ring or halo around the moon caused by ice crystals in the cirrus clouds high above us.

A lunar halo around the moon, caused by ice crystals in high cirrus clouds. Toward the bottom left, inside the halo, a bright dot which is Jupiter, just barely shinning through the clouds. This was the first ring we got to see.

Pinhus presented Lara a beautiful triple stone, diamond engagement ring. It was truly stellar! The second ring we got to see that night.

The "stellar" engagement ring Pinhus offered Lara.

After the star tour we returned to the Green Backpacker where we continued our L'chaim with a chocolate engagement party cake. We made Lara and Pinhus blow out the two candles together.

The engagement cake. "Couple for life!"

Writer Abigail Klein Leichman picked up the event and provided a nice write up in Israel21c.com.

I guess this now makes us officially the most romantic thing to do in Israel for Valentines Day and Tu b'Av. 

The offer still stands. A free star tour if you propose to your beloved on one!! Come on down and take us up on our offer.

B'Ahava,
Ira "Star Man" Machefsky