Two recent social events for singles, coordinated with YUConnects, clearly demonstrate that these activities can be fun, enjoyable, and successful in making matches.

Last Saturday night, on December 17, the Young Israel of Woodmere YIW Meet group, DineNMeet, and YUConnects cosponsored a comedy night at the home of Drs. Deborah and Yacov Stollman. A rising young comedian, Eli Lebowicz, entertained the packed room with a kosher standup routine on Jewish daily life. He good-naturedly poked fun at himself as a “gelilah, not a hagbahah” type of guy and confided how he stumbles when answering the security questions at El Al check-in. The receptive audience enjoyed both his improvisational routine and a special Chanukah-themed icebreaker game. As expected, the crowd of young professionals, ages 28 to 38, found that laughter broke down boundaries and made it even more comfortable to meet the many new faces in the room.

Helped by a delicious dairy buffet, a friendly spirit pervaded the room, leading to great conversations. Connectors/facilitators helped make many introductions and assisted with the multiple requests for follow-up. About 10 couples have expressed interest in each other with two dates quickly arranged immediately after the event!

The Young Israel of Woodmere’s YIW Meet group runs programming for single men and women of all ages a few times a year. DineNMeet, a division of SawYouAtSinai, and YUConnects, a nonprofit open to all, both organize frequent and unique events which allow more meeting opportunities for singles.

These activities have been so productive that YUConnects was recently approached to run an international event in Israel. On December 8, 120 young men and women participated in the inaugural “Shiur and Sushi” event at the OU Israel Center in Rechavia, Jerusalem. The staff at Yeshiva University in Israel helped coordinate the logistics with the YUConnects team, and Rabbi Chaim Eisenstein of the Gruss Kollel, a dynamic speaker, began the evening with an interactive discussion on “Device and Conquer! Technology and our Spiritual Lives.”

Sushi and sufganiyot (apologies to the health minister) were served while the attendees had a wonderful time after the shiur meeting some expert local matchmakers and playing a lively round of “human bingo,” allowing for comfortable interactions. Geared especially for Anglo singles, one participant noted, “I was happy to attend and speak to people with a similar background. This made it so easy!”

YUConnects and SawYouAtSinai offer free membership for those who live in Israel. For more information about any of these programs, e-mail mglatt@yu.edu or call 212-960-5400, ext. 6163.

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