A little more than a year ago, friends Freddie Weisberg and Char Cohodes had an idea: start a matchmaking service for Jewish seniors.
“It has absolutely met our expectations,” Weisberg said of the first year of JMatchmaking. “We’ve learned a lot” from the experience.
JMatchmaking is a program open to singles 65 and over who would like to be fixed up. Freshly retired from careers in the business world and looking to give back to the community, Cohodes and Weisberg co-founded what started as Old School Jewish Matchmaking as a labor of – and for – love.
“I feel like we’re successful with what we have,” Weisberg said. “I’m proud of ourselves for what we’re doing, given our database, given where we’re at thus far. I’m proud of how we’ve conducted it.”
Being both thoughtful and careful in their approach has been by design.
“People come to us with so much positive anticipation, and we try to kind of coach them through this and say it’s a long-term game we’re playing here,” Weisberg said. “We’re new, even though now we’re one year old. But there’s more time ahead, and time is our friend in terms of getting the word out there and having more people know about us and join.”
Their roster is now open to Jewfolk of a certain age, as well as those they call “Jewish-adjacent,” people with ties to the community. Seniors looking for a match, or those helping an interested senior, should join our new Facebook Group, Old School Jewish Matchmaking, or email [email protected].
Cohodes and Weisberg view their efforts as part of their personal commitment to tikkun olam, repairing or improving the world. They observed an unmet need in the community, noting that often, seniors view dating websites and apps as unappealing or unsafe.
“We need time for some successes to reverberate,” Cohodes said, adding that having more men in their pool of potential matches would be helpful, although she’s hopeful that as people are back in Minnesota after being away in the winter, those successes will increase.
“What’s stood out is the strong desire for companionship, having it in their back pocket that they know what they’re doing for dinner Saturday night,” Cohodes said. “I feel like that has been the prevailing message. And there’s certainly ones that are looking for a deeper and more romantic [relationship], and it probably everything in between. For me, the possibility they leave with after they’ve talked to us, that’s the real reward and what stands out when I think about meeting with people.”