Who we are

Whitney – Co-Founder, Community Connector,

Modern-Day Shadchanit

Whitney brings a background in product development, nonprofit leadership, and storytelling to Ahava Northwest. Rooted in both Jewish and Indigenous traditions of kinship, she believes matchmaking is about more than romance—it’s about belonging. After navigating dating apps and feeling the regional disconnect, she realized that the solution wasn’t somewhere else. It was here, in building local bridges. She’s currently working on a book titled Be Your Own Matchmaker and believes every relationship starts with intentionality and authenticity.

Beni – Co-Founder, Systems Thinker,

Photographer of Love

Together,

We Built Ahava Northwest

We come from different backgrounds but share a deep belief in the power of intentional connection. Our journeys in the Jewish dating world—filled with false starts, isolation, and app fatigue—showed us just how needed a regional, heart-centered matchmaking service truly is. Together, we’ve combined our tech, storytelling, psychology, photography, and community-building skills to create something we wish had existed when we were searching: a space for Jewish singles in the Pacific Northwest to be seen, supported, and matched with care.

Beni blends his technical background in health IT with his love of human connection. As a photographer and someone who has studied dating and relational psychology, he brings both structure and heart to the matchmaking process. After seeing the fragmented dating landscape in Portland, he took the lead in connecting people within the Jewish community—and hasn’t looked back since. For Beni, matchmaking isn’t just a passion; it’s a mitzvah.

We didn’t set out to start a matchmaking service—we set out to find meaningful connections. What we found instead was a dating landscape that often felt isolating, especially for Jewish singles in the Pacific Northwest.

Apps were overwhelming, Jewish-focused platforms lacked local matches, and many people we knew—smart, kind, marriage-minded singles—struggled to meet anyone compatible. Some even considered relocating to larger cities just to find their person.

We realized we weren’t alone. At Shabbat dinners, in synagogue circles, and on long walks with friends, the same frustration surfaced: “Where are the people who get it? The ones who want what I want?”

That’s when it clicked. We didn’t need to keep hoping someone else would build a solution. We could create it ourselves—rooted in regional knowledge, cultural understanding, and a lot of heart.

Ahava Northwest was born out of this shared desire:

• To bring intention back into dating

• To center Jewish identity and values

• To connect singles who might otherwise never meet

And to help love grow right here,

in the place we call home.