MeetJew University Dating

Nice to Meet Jew

Aaron Rahimi, the founder of MeetJew University Dating, is a 24-year-old political science student at San Diego State University. As the grandchild of an Auschwitz survivor, he was brought up with traditional Jewish values, but says he was by no means “religious.” When Rahimi attended a Birthright trip to Israel at 19, however, he began to be involved with all things Israel on campus and started to attend Chabad regularly.   When the pandemic began, Rahimi was facing a number of unrelated health concerns, discovering that he had three herniated discs in his spine. While undergoing physical therapy, he had the idea to start a Facebook group for university students with the goal of fostering romantic connections online with people who may have not had the opportunity to meet otherwise.  On March 17, 2019, just after the coronavirus...

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Beshert | Finding My Own Kind

My Grandma Phyllis always told me to “Stick to your own kind” when it came to dating. But to her disappointment, I’d never dated another Jew. I had, however, dated other women. I figured that was a good way to follow Grandma’s advice – weren’t women my kind, too? In 2010, after finishing my Ph.D., I moved to Norwich, England, where I knew almost no one, for work. That’s when my long-distance girlfriend suddenly dumped me. Bereft, shocked and alone, I just stayed in my flat or went to work. I did a lot of crying. Then I went to lunch with a male friend, thinking I should get out of the house. I’d heard there was an afternoon tea party for lesbian and bisexual women later that day. My friend told me to go, to cheer...

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Jewish Mothers Everywhere Are Forwarding This To Their Daughters

The competition for best Craigslist posting to mention both Girls and the Holocaust just narrowed a lot, thanks to this, the most Jewish Craigslist posting of all time. In it, "five handsome and two not so handsome single men" from Washington, DC invite women to submit their photos and answers to questions like "Have you read Portnoy's Complaint?"; "Explain why a two-state solution would or would not work?; "Which character from Girls speaks most to your personality?"; "Which biblical forefather do you admire most and why?" and, you know, other questions pertaining to the most important parts of one's Jewish identity. Seven women--who we guess are supposed to be the "winners," but, really, is anyone winning here?--will be invited to a Shabbat dinner hosted by the men. Marriage and Jewish babies to follow.  

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A Match Made in the O.R.

by Sala Levin The dating ritual is replete with anxieties: What dress to wear? How long should I wait to call after the date? Is my nose so big that I'll be single forever? Well, Orthodox denizens of greater Miami, Michael Salzhauer is here to help you with at least one of those worries. The plastic surgeon gained some notoriety last month for putting out a music video (called "Jewcan Sam") in which a young man--played by the lead singer of The Groggers--with a prominent nose just can't get the pretty girl to go on a date with him. In exchange for the band's performance in the video, Salzhauer offered gratis nose jobs to any of its members. The lead singer took him up on it, but his character--now smooth-nosed--still didn't get the girl. Now, Salzhauer...

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Overcoming the First Date Blues

We’ve all been there: the awkward first date.  He’s shy.  She’s nervous.  They wait for a table at a restaurant and try to make small talk, but observations about the weather and the restaurant prove both uninteresting and brief.  On their JDate profiles, they seemed so perfect for each other, but in person the silence is hard to overcome. Suddenly, she perks up.  “Hey, did you know that Jon Stewart’s real last name is Leibowitz?  He dropped it when he became a comic, but apparently he’s got a rocky relationship with his dad too.”  Their shoulders drop, they start breathing more freely and the conversation begins to flow.  They sit and order.  “Yeah, I love that Jon Stewart is Jewish.  And Stephen Colbert, too,” she says. “Actually, Stephen Colbert isn’t Jewish at all,” he responds.  “Neither is...

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