Archive for the ‘jewish matchmaker’ Category

If you find yourself alone this Holiday season, there are a number of events for Jewish Singles all around the country.

Annual Matzo Ball Party at the Capitale, New York City – This Jewish singles party is hosted by the Society of Young Jewish Professionals and happens on Christmas Eve at the Capitale on 130 Bowery Street, between Elizabeth and Chrystie street.

The Ball 2010 at the Colony, Los Angeles – This is considered the Biggest Jewish Singles Event in Southern California! The Guardians and Let My People Go host this huge bash at the Colony Club in Los Angeles, on 1743 N Cahuenga Boulevard at Yucca Street.

Mazel Tov Ball at the Gryphon, Fort Lauderdale – Join one of Florida’s largest events for Jewish Singles, featuring dancing, shmoozing and lots of delicious food. At the Gryphon Nightclub in Hollywood, 5707 Seminole Way.

I also invite Jewish Singles to contact me this holiday season – so that next holiday you will be with your Jewish match!

Mazel Tov, ilana

This warms the soul and heart!!!! Thank you Life In Israel for sharing this.

Shalom, ilana

Jewish wedding customs are sacred rituals that have been practiced in the Jewish faith for centuries. Each stage of the wedding has important meaning and symbolism.

In Jewish marriages, the process is divided into two parts – the “Erusin” (betrothal) and “Nissuin” (establishment of the marriage). Historically, these two parts were separated by at least one month, but in modern times both parts are typically done at the same time.

Here is an overview of the different stages of the Jewish wedding ceremony for Jewish singles that are preparing for this special union:

1. The Chuppah – The Chuppah is a canopy that the Jewish couple passes under during the ceremony – the canopy represents the new home that the Jewish couple will inhabit once they are married, which will be protected by God’s love and guidance.

2. The Seven Circles – Once the couple have passed through the Chuppah, the bride and her family circle the groom seven times. This symbolizes a seven fold marital bond between the bride, groom and the respective families. The number is very important in Jewish culture, as it represents the 7 days that the earth was created by God.

3. The Ketubah – This is one of the most important aspects of the Jewish wedding ceremony. The Ketubah is the contract between husband and wife, akin to a prenuptial agreement, which is read aloud in Aramic during the ceremony. The document is based on the Torah and outlines the duties of the husband to his wife, and also extols the virtues and elevated status that the wife occupies in the marriage. The contract also explains what will happen in the unlikely event of a divorce between the Jewish couple or the death of the husband.

In ancient times, Rabbis insisted on the Ketubah in order to protect the wife. The Ketubah replaced the “Mohai”, which was the price paid for the bride by the groom. In the event the marriage was dissolved, the Ketubah defined the amount the husband was required to pay the wife.

4. The Seven Blessings – The seven blessings, or “Sheva Brahot” is the conclusion of the Jewish wedding ceremony. Again, the significance of the number seven is prominent. The blessings are typically recited by the Rabbi, but sometimes guests are selected to recite the blessings.

5. The Breaking of the Glass – After all of the above rites are completed, the groom crushes a glass or light-bulb under his foot and the guests say “Mazel Tov” or “Good Luck”.

The tradition of match-making in the Jewish culture has been around since the times of Abraham in the old testament. In those times match-making was referred to as “Shidduch”, in which orthodox Jewish singles were introduced to each other through a very formal system. In each community, singles were introduced to each by family members, friends or the village match-maker.

Match-making was designed to introduce Jewish singles to one another for the specific purpose of marriage. The process was developed to filter out casual encounters or inappropriate candidates, and introduce Jewish singles to the best and brightest in their communities.

In modern times match-making has become much more relaxed and casual, however the basic concepts and benefits still exist. When given the choice of anonymous online dating or enlisting the help of a professional Match-maker, here are a few points to consider.

The Benefits of Match-Making for Jewish Singles

1. Match-making ensures that Jewish singles meet serious, like-minded individuals interested in marriage;

2. The Match-maker qualifies the Jewish singles before they meet, in order to screen and filter out people that do not meet basic needs and expectations;

3. The Match-maker acts as a guide and counselor to the Jewish singles throughout the dating process. If there are issues, concerns or problems, the Jewish singles can speak privately with the Match-maker and receive advice and comfort;

4. The Match-maker acts as a buffer and an additional security measure in dating. When working with a Match-maker, especially for women, you know that you are not meeting singles that are potentially dangerous or imbalanced.

So if you are considering signing up for an online dating service, speak with us first. You will find that we will save you time and headache in the process of meeting new Jewish singles.

Shalom, ilana

It seems as if the whole world is dating online. These days it’s rare to meet someone who hasn’t found their significant other through the internet. It’s not a choice between JDate or “offline” dating, but between JDate or Match.com or e-Harmony.com or any one of the other millions online dating sites.

Online dating has transformed Jewish culture in a tremendous way, since the advent of sites like Jdate and Frumster. These sites were at the forefront of all online dating, even though they focus on the needs of Jewish singles. I think this is because “Match-making” has always been an important concept for Jewish singles. Since the beloved musical “Fiddler on the roof”, Jewish Matchmakers have historically been important figures in Jewish society. However, while the Jewish culture has undoubtedly benefited from the evolution of online dating, many aspects of this new form of matchmaking are foriegn to the Jewish culture.

The Jewish community is extremely tight-knit. Most of the choices we make are based on the advice of family and friends. Whether it is finding a plumber to fix your sink or a doctor to remove your tonsils – Jews tend to stay within the community and follow the referrals of trusted Jewish sources. This is why it is extraordinary that Jewish singles use online dating to find romantic partnerships, because the people you meet through the internet are anonymous, unknown and not a part of a trusted referral network.

This is why many Jewish singles are disappointed with online dating. Unlike most part of our lives, Jewish singles are using the internet to help them make one of their most important decisions in life – who they will fall in love and start a family with. It’s funny that while most of us will not trust the internet to find a doctor, we will trust it to find our soulmate.

When I was growing up in Israel, the internet didn’t even exist! When a young woman or man came of age, usually after their term in the military, the local matchmaker in their community would pair them with a potential partner, and usually these matches would equal love at first sight. Because the Matchmaker had known these children their entire lives, knew their families and background – the matchmaker would have keen sense of what these young people were looking for in a partner.

The internet inspired me to transfer my matchmaking service to the online world so that I could bridge the gap between traditional matchmaking and modern technology. Technology makes it easy to connect with an unlimited number of people, some good, some bad. My online matchmaking service acts as a buffer between Jewish singles and cyberspace. I offer Jewish singles the convenience of technology to find an unlimited number of singles, however I personally screen and qualify each individual before they meet each other, helping improve the chances that the two Jewish singles will hit it off and find true love.

So if you are trying to decide which online dating service to register with, why not call me first and set up a free consultation. I have offices in New York, California, Florida and Israel and am available 6 days a week to discuss your needs and hopes in finding a Jewish partner.

Dear Friends,

The terrible disaster that struck the Carmel Forest in Israel demands all of our immediate attention and help. One of the strongest attributes of the Jewish culture is our ability to come together as a community and help our brothers and sisters in times of need.

Please visit the Jewish National Fund to donate money and supplies, which are desperately needed. In light of the holiday season, this need is even more urgent.

Being Jewish is a different experience depending on who you are and where you live. Judaism is as much a culture as it is a religious faith.

As far as marriage and dating is concerned, Jewish people have particularly unique thinking. Unmarried Jewish singles have a lot of pressure regarding marriage and dating. Jewish parents are usually obsessed with the idea of their children finding the perfect Jewish match.

Many Jews feel very sensitive about the subject of marriage and dating after World War II. Because so many innocent Jewish lives were lost, there was a big pressure on Jewish singles to only have romantic relationships and marriage with other Jewish singles.

One would think that there is a huge pool of Jewish singles to choose from. Wrong.

For example, lots of young Jewish students go to Jesuit or Catholic universities. It’s a strange phenomena, but many of these schools have top law and medical programs, making them very attractive for young Jewish students.

It’s very difficult to meet Jewish singles outside of family, friends, and school.

This is where matchmaking comes into the picture. And notice I said “matchmaking” and not “dating”, as most Jewish singles are looking for solid, long term relationships that will eventually lead to marriage with a Jewish soul mate. Online dating is a more casual activity, really intended for recreation rather than starting serious relationships. Not to say that there aren’t Jewish singles who have met their partners online, but it is much more difficult and time consuming to meet quality Jewish singles this way.

Because of all the reasons mentioned above, Jewish matchmaking services have become even more important in Jewish culture.

Services like My Global Match help young, old, unmarried and widowed Jewish singles find a large, highly qualified pool of Jewish singles to choose from.

ilana Gutman, the founder and CEO, personally screens and interviews each candidate before he or she enrolls in the service. The service My Global Match provides is personalized and extensive, and ilana has an in-depth interview with each candidate before they sign up to determine that she can successfully match them with the Jewish single of their dreams before they sign up.

ilana screens each person to make sure there physical description is accurate, that they are successfully employed, and that they do not have a dangerous past. This is what differentiates matchmaking services from online dating. When you meet someone online, you have no idea if they are really who they say they are. You have to first take the chance in meeting them in person and hope for the best.

With My Global Match Jewish matchmaking however, you know exactly who you are meeting in advance. You know how they look, what they do for a living, where they were born, what goals and expectations they have in life, and that they are serious about finding their Jewish soul mate.

1. The more people I go out with, even if they are not Jewish, the better chance I have of meeting Mr./Ms. Right.

Many people think that dating is a numbers game, and it’s all about “getting out there” and making yourself available. Well, for many Jewish singles, this ends up in dating burnout, especially if the person is also dating non-jews.

It’s better to date a few exceptional Jewish singles than dozens of people who sound “interesting” but will never turn into anything real. You’re looking for one lifelong partner, not 100 cups of coffee.

2. The smartest and most attractive people marry first.

This is absolutely false. There are many amazing people who, because of the demands of work or family, simply cannot find the time to focus on finding their Jewish soulmate. It is for this reason that many successful people turn to the assistance of a Jewish matchmaker when looking to find a serious partner.

3. All good Jewish men and women are taken.

WRONG. There are millions of wonderful Jewish singles out there, it just take time and skill in meeting them. Again, this is the reason many Jewish singles use a Jewish matchmaking service to help them find other like minded Jewish people to date.

We live in a huge, wonderful world. It just takes a bit of maneuvering to meet the perfect Jewish soulmate.

4. It doesn’t matter if your family and friends and family like the person you’re dating. You understand him or her, and your opinion is the only one that matters.

This is especially false in the Jewish culture. The opinion of family, friends and the synagogue are all very important. If your potential spouse does not get along with the most important people in your life, how does your relationship have hope of long-term survival? More importantly, how will this affect the children that you have with your spouse?

In today’s super-charged modern lifestyles, Jewish singles can get so caught up their daily lives, that they miss the truly important aspects of life, like love and family. For many young Jewish singles, and for singles in general, it’s difficult to find the time and space in life for a special relationship. The demands of work and the distractions of living in a big city can make it easy to overlook what is truly important; finding a true Jewish love to share a life with and start a family.

For Jewish singles who have been hurt or betrayed by past relationships, getting back into the dating game is even more difficult.

ilana Gutman’s Jewish matchmaking service can be an invaluable resource for people looking to find a serious long-term relationship, and eventually marriage, with their Jewish soulmate.

My Global Match helps Jewish singles meet a selective pool of educated, well-employed and serious Jewish professionals. ilana Gutman spends hours carefully interviewing and getting to know her prospective clients, so that she can match them with Jewish singles that share similar tastes, hobbies, and family goals.

It is a comforting thought that Jewish singles, whether they are divorced, widowed, in their early twenties or still single in their middle fifties, no longer feel that they are left to their own devices. For those who are tired of Internet dating and want a more personalized, premiere service, My Global Match is an ideal option.

Call ilana today at (818) 788-8360 to schedule a free consultation.

I was recently reading an article in aish.com written by a 68 year old Jewish woman who said that she gave up on the hope of romance at age 30. After a number of rejections in her 20s, she simply could not bear the thought of being disappointed ever again. So for thirty she has remained alone with no hope of finding her true Jewish soulmate.

This woman wrote that when she was young, she often wished her father, who was a professor, would bring home a nice boy for her meet. She hated the dating game, and never felt that she truly achieved real intimacy with the men she casually dated. She felt that the men she met only wanted physical intimacy, without taking the trouble to really get to know her as a person.

She writes that “in today’s fast and shallow Facebook world, so many relationships — even without physical intimacy — are coming to resemble…emptiness more and more. There can be a kind of promiscuity without physical contact. It occurs wherever people “get to know” one another without coming to care for one another.”

For all of those people who can relate to this woman’s feelings and experiences, I want to tell you that there is hope.

Every single person on this Earth deserves to love and be loved. Also, every person deserves to be loved for who they are, without any false pretenses or illusions.

With my Jewish Dating Service, My Global Match, my goal is not to set you up on a casual date that will last for a few weeks or months. My goal is to match you with someone that can lead to the long-term goal of marriage and children. There is none of the “emptiness” that the woman above describes in the Jewish matches that I arrange. My service is not a meat market like many online dating sites. It’s not about the quantity of dates – it’s about the quality of people that you will meet through my service.

Don’t get me wrong, I can’t guarantee that every date I match you with will be “The One”. But I can promise you that I will closely listen when you describe what you are looking for in a partner, and I will find potential Jewish singles that can complement your likes and dislikes, and who will want to spend time with you getting to know the real you.

So if you ever ask your self “Should I Give Up on Love?”, the answer is 100%, absolutely NO! The one for you is out there. Call me so that we can discover your destiny together.

Love,

ilana