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| Written by Sharon Feiereisen | |||||
| Thursday, 27 October 2005 | |||||
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Cyber-dating for Semitophiles When it comes to the dating stories of Jewish college-age students, there are few things funnier than the tales of computer-savvy Jewish mothers who pose as their children on JDate. JDate.com is the biggest online Jewish dating network with 52,500 members in the New York area alone. It has revolutionized the Jewish dating scene. While for many it may seem nearly impossible to imagine a world without parental nagging and love-life meddling, the whole mother as a matchmaker thing is increasingly becoming obsolete. Personally, I consider myself something of a traditionalist when it comes to dating, so up until this point I have been fairly naive as to how many resources are available for Jewish college students. I was quite surprised that a JDate search led me to profiles of real people I have actually seen around the Cornell campus. While most seemed sincere, “I'm looking for something that starts off as a good time and grows into a serious relationship that I want to pursue for even longer” a few proved wildly zanily entertaining “I am looking for a religious girl. In bed she needs to be like ‘Oh my G-D! Oh my G-D!’” When it comes to Jewish online dating, though, it doesn’t stop at JDate. AlmostmetJew.com is aimed mostly at Conservative and Orthodox Jews who want a second chance at a first impression with that special someone they spotted “Israel Day Parade” or the “frozen aisle section of Brach’s supermarket in Lawrence.” Unlike JDate, AlmostmetJew.com, is less of a matchmaker and more of a lost-and-found for people. With postings like, “All I remember is a boy who looks vaguely like Aladdin with very big feet. In one hand, he was carrying a greasy slice of kosher pizza and in the other, he was holding a book whose title was unintelligible to someone with my comparatively small brain. I am the tall skinny girl that you bumped into and got pizza all over.” In comparing these two sites, interesting points emerge. For example, JDate has been increasingly infiltrated by gentiles. Robin Gorman Newman, the author of “How to Meet a Mensch in New York,” told a New York Times reporter that, “A lot of girls think that Jewish guys know how to treat women, so they want one, and on the flip side, non-Jewish guys think that Jewish women will take charge and make their lives easier.” Whether driven by the stereotypes or not, something keeps JDate filled with Semitophiles. The founders of AlmostmetJew, however, make sure to add that they “hold Orthodox values, and present the site in accordance with those values. True, we can’t guarantee someone is Jewish, but since most of our users declare their love for yarmulkes or long skirts, it would be pretty easy to spot the fakes.” If however, internet dating isn’t quite your thing, Hillels across the country are organizing speed dating, which generally involves couples speaking for a soul-baring sixty seconds before moving on to the next available bachelor/ette. And don’t forget the date auctions, in which auctioned individuals usually come with a dinner and date activity donated by local businesses. Some include the Jewish spin on the MTV dating show, “Singled Out,” where students answer questions that involve things like naming their favorite Jewish celebrity or religious figure. Will all of this innovative dating equipment render shadchans (or Jewish Matchmakers) obsolete? For the time being, it is evident that some like it personal, as these in-demand matchmakers can run for up to $10,000 for their services.
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