Couple of 25 Years Made
Love Connection over Feline Infatuation
in Exponent Purr-sonal Ad
RACHEL KURLAND | JE STAFF
I t was love at fi rst — meow?
For anyone else, a person-
al ad depicting himself as a
he stood a chance; he thought
cat rather than a human being
Anne was too sophisticated
would probably be a turnoff ,
for him.

but it was meant to be for
“His hair was longer
Mike and Anne Ginsberg.

than mine at the time,” she
Mike placed a personal
laughed, “wearing more ear-
dating ad in the Jewish Ex-
rings than I was.”
ponent’s classifi eds section in
With nothing to lose in
1990 — from the perspective of
Mike’s mind, all the anxiety
his cat, Otis.

of dating went out the window.

He was seeing someone at the
Th ey held hands on the walk from a
Mike and Anne
time — who was not Jewish — but knew
bar to the Ritz, and when Mike later met
Ginsberg it was going nowhere, so he thought, “Well, I
Anne’s cat, grinning down at it, Anne checked
can put it in the Exponent and she’ll never see it.”
out his “cute” smile.

Th e $87 ad led with “SNC: Single Neutered Cat.”
“I was shocked that we were connecting,” Mike said. A
In the past, he dated someone who did not like animals, a
couple weeks later, he threw away a box of roughly 115 letter
big dealbreaker for Mike.

responses to the ad (unknown to Anne until 25 years later).

“She was afraid of my parents’ min-
But their connection shouldn’t come as too much of a sur-
iature poodle,” he recalled. So when it
prise, since the two had actually met three years prior at
came between choosing her or Otis, it
a Halloween party.

was an easy decision.

A few beers in waiting
Th e ad was a hit.

for his friends to show up,
“I just thought it was a creative
Mike chatted with Anne,
way to stand out,” he said.

cloaked in a witch’s hat, but
Anne’s ex hated her cat, too, so
just didn’t seem to “click.”
Mike seemed like a claw-some catch.

When his co-worker
“I thought, ‘OK, I have to meet
asked Mike where he want-
the guy that wrote this,’” she said.

ed to sit at the party, he said,
She responded to the ad on theme:
“As far away from that witch
“I’m a single female cat and I’m
as possible.” It didn’t help that
sick of having my person come
she happened to also have a
home aft er yet another blind date
cackling laugh.

from hell and tell me that there are
Fast forward to their sec-
no nice Jewish guys out there, so
ond date at a Grateful Dead
prove her wrong!”
cover band concert.

Mike felt indiff erent about
“She doesn’t have to love
The Ginsbergs kept an original
most of the inquiries he received, copy of the classifi eds ad that
them, but she can’t hate them,”
but decided to give it one last Mike posted in 1990.

said Mike, a huge Dead fan. Th e couple had a good time, and
PHOTOS PROVIDED
shot. On the fi nal day he could
have since seen the real band 12 times and danced to “If I Had
check his voicemail responses,
the World to Give” at their wedding.

there was a message left only 10 minutes prior. It was Anne.

Th ey fi t into each other’s lives seamlessly, meshing with each
Th eir fi rst date was the following day, Dec. 29, where he took
other’s friends and families like they’ve been there all along.

Anne to see a movie at the Ritz on Walnut Street.

Th ey got engaged on the anniversary of that fi rst date, and
In his signature mullet and two earrings — the look has since
married Sept. 6, 1992 at Congregation Kesher Israel. Mike’s father
faded, fortunately — Mike drove up with his fl esh-toned Ford
See LOVE CONNECTION, page 10
Escort, decorated with Grateful Dead stickers. He didn’t think
8 OCTOBER 26, 2017
SIMCHAS JEWISHEXPONENT.COM