Every year on Dec. 24 about 200 young Jewish people in their 20s, 30s and 40s gather at a hot nightspot in the city to renew friendships and have an evening of good cheer. It’s not a singles event — couples and singles regularly attend — yet every now and then the relationship angels manage to bring two people together. That’s exactly what happened with Leah Karchin and Justin Unell at Bagel Bash 2009.

Karchin was determined she wasn’t going to miss Bagel Bash that year. A year earlier she had moved to the area as a student at the University of Kansas’ Edwards Campus in Overland Park working toward a master’s degree in special education with an emphasis in autism. When she returned from a winter break visit with her family in Grosse Pointe, Mich., she heard about the great party she had missed on Dec. 24.

“People just raved about it,” Karchin said.

During the previous year she had met many of these people at other events sponsored for young adults by the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City. She loved attending these events.

“There was no Jewish population where I was from and I thought it was a great way to make friends,” she said in a recent interview.

By the time the party rolled around the next year, Karchin made plans to attend.

“I told my mom I still wanted to come home and visit, but I wanted to come a little later so I could go to Bagel Bash,” she said.

Karchin, who earned that master’s degree she moved to town for, is now the instructor in Blue Valley’s Center for Advanced Professional Studies Interaction design program (a field that combines creativity with technology, marketing and advertising). She looked forward to the evening as simply a girls’ night out with friends. It really wasn’t a top priority for her to scope out the available Jewish men.

However just the opposite was true for Unell. He had been to Bagel Bash before and enjoyed seeing old and new friends there. But now he was at a time in his life when he was ready, and even hoping, to meet a nice Jewish woman. On this night he noticed Karchin.

“This guy just walked up to me,” said the 29-year-old Karchin. “He was very brave.”

“He works in TV and I really didn’t know anything about TV, but we talked about it for a while. Then he asked for my phone number. Guys don’t do that anymore. I wasn’t sure if he was serious, but I said sure and gave it to him because he was really nice.”

Fast forward four years to today and the couple is making plans to attend yet another Bagel Bash. Now engaged, they plan to marry in 2013. Karchin said she also has a great story to tell people.

“Jewish people go out for Chinese food and see a movie on Christmas Eve, but it’s a whole different story for non-Jewish people. So when I tell people I met Justin at a party on Christmas Eve, it sounds magical to them,” Karchin said.

For those who like romantic stories, this story is indeed magical. Unell, 32, grew up in Kansas City and works as a planning editor for 41 Action News. He liked Karchin and called her the very next day after meeting her. Since Karchin was out of town, it took another week or so before they actually got together.

After speaking with Karchin at the party and on the phone, he discovered she had been a competitive figure skater who was a member of the U.S. National Synchronized Skating Team as well as a member of the synchronized skating team at Michigan State University. So he suggested they go skating at Crown Center.

“I had never figure-skated before. It was something my parents and my sister had done a few times, but I had never been interested before,” Unell said.

Karchin, who is also a skating coach, was running late from practice and worried she would make a bad impression on Unell, but said the date went off without a glitch and, she said, was really fun.

“I do remember holding hands while we were skating. I thought it was romantic at the time but it could have been that he needed a little skating help. But he’s a lot better at skating that I am at golf,” said Karchin, referring to one of Unell’s favorite hobbies.

The date continued at Fritz’s restaurant in Crown Center, where they had burgers and shakes delivered by the restaurant’s overhead train system.

“He paid, something guys don’t do much anymore either. I had fun and definitely thought he was impressive,” she said.

She thought it was the perfect date. He wasn’t so sure because the date was over by 8 p.m. Unell later learned Karchin was simply exhausted after a long day of coaching.

As Karchin explains, the rest is history. But becoming a couple didn’t happen overnight and took some planning. For example, they had completely opposite schedules. She worked from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily plus her coaching duties. He generally worked 2 to 11 p.m. at the TV station.

Not one to rush things Unell decided this summer, after dating for three and a half years, that it was time to propose. Just as he did when he took Karchin skating that first time, he stepped outside of his comfort zone to do it.

“We took a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands, which is wild for me because I’m a lower 48 kind of guy. I got this romantic package where we got a picnic for two on a private beach. Leah was surprised and we had an amazing lunch on a gorgeous day,” he said.

“I got down on one knee and said will you marry me. I had the ring with me,” he said. “She was crying and emotional and said yes. Then of course she couldn’t eat. But we had a few days left on the trip and continued to have a great vacation.”

Because Bagel Bash has special meaning to them, they haven’t missed one since they met. And they plan to keep it on their list of things to do for years to come.

Bagel Bash to be held Dec. 24

Bagel Bash, tagged as the place to meet new people and to reconnect with old friends, takes place at 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24, at Gusto Lounge, 504 Westport Road in Kansas City, Mo. The event is for Jewish adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s. No one under 21 will be admitted. For reservations or more information, call Nicole at 913-327-8111.

Members of the Bagel Bash Committee are Aaron Goldman, Greg Herman, Amy King, Dave Suroff and Alan Widman. The event is brought to you by the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City in cooperation with B’Not Or Hadassah; Chavarim on the Scene, Kehilath Israel Synagogue; Congregation Beth Israel Abraham & Voliner; Congregation Beth Shalom; Congregation Kol Ami; Friends Next Dor, Congregation Beth Torah; Jewish Community Center; JCRB|AJC; Jewish Federation’s Business & Professionals; Kehillah KC, The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah; New Reform Temple; and Congregation Ohev Sholom.