Aleeza Ben Shalom, known as the Jewish Matchmaker, is coming to Miami to host an interactive event at The Hub at Temple Beth Am on March 6. Here, she will share expert dating advice during a Q&A and conduct a live matchmaking session.
Ben Shalom is known for the Netflix show “Jewish Matchmaking,” which follows singles in the U.S. and Israel as they put their dating lives in her hands. The participants take a chance at what is known in the Jewish world as shidduchim, a matchmaking system where Jewish singles are introduced to one another.
The show’s popularity has sparked an interest in viewers who want to learn more about Ben Shalom and the anomaly of the traditional Jewish dating practice.
Tickets for her Miami show range from $44 – $185, but interested UM students can use coupon code UMHillel at checkout to get a discounted $25 ticket. Parking at the venue is free of charge.
The Miami Hurricane spoke with Ben Shalom about her career as a matchmaker, her experience on Netflix and her upcoming Miami show.
How did you get started in matchmaking?
“Nobody that I know of dreams of one day [becoming] a matchmaker. It’s not a career path or choice that most people actually choose. I think that having a healthy, wonderful family life and seeing parents who built a healthy relationship together was something that just seemed very normal to me.
And then when I realized, it’s not always so normal — we’re not always able to get that or have that. I was always a go-between between people. I was the peacemaker. I was the connector.”
Why matchmaking?
“A professional matchmaker is similar to hiring a fitness coach if you want to get in shape, or hiring a chef if you want to have consistent regular excellent meals in your home.
We might not be an expert in every single area of our life, especially in the area of our love lives. So hiring a matchmaker is to me a really good decision if you’re struggling with the process and if you want professional and outside guidance and support.”
How do you balance the entertainment aspect of TV with the seriousness that’s required for matchmaking?
“It’s not my specialty. I’m really good at being me. That is the thing that I can be the most. And I think that my goal was just to show up authentically. I wasn’t trying to do anything other than to show up how I normally show up when I’m with clients.”
What are you looking forward to at your Miami show?
“I am so excited. I love Florida. I love Miami. And I especially love when we have students when we have both a younger and an older crowd married and singles. The audience is always the best, we always had the most energy and the most fun and the most laughs.”
What are your anticipated outcomes or objectives for the event?
“I would say inspiration, humor, play and fun — and also making matches. So the way that the program works is it’s usually three parts. I do kind of like a monologue. Imagine stand-up comedy mixed with matchmaking and Netflix and Aleeza — that’s, that’s the first part of the show.
Then I do Q&A. So somebody interviews me and the audience asks questions, and they learn all about whatever you want to know.
And then the third part is actually live matchmaking. So we bring two guys and two girls up to the stage. We grill them and interview them. I train the audience how to be a matchmaker.
And before we leave, I tell the audience like you’re my new matchmaker recruiters, you’re gonna find the match, not me. It’s not my job, it’s yours.”
What can people planning to attend look forward to?
“I would say they should look forward to this being interactive. This is not like a program and a show that you come and you sit and you watch. This is something that engages you.”
What relationship advice do you have for single and dating college students?
“Do not leave school until you find your person. It is a million times easier to find them now than to try to find them later in the workforce at a random bar at random events.
You are in a little bubble that is beautiful. It is a gorgeous time in your life to find somebody who is motivated, has similar aspirations and is in a tremendous growth stage. Once you leave, you’re in the real world, outside of the beauty of what exists on a college campus.”
Any final words to leave our readers with?
“I usually give a blessing at the end of all of my interviews. May those of you who are searching for your person, may you find them this year. May those of you who are married and have your person, may you stay married.
And may those of you who have children have more children, and those of you who are done having children, may you have grandchildren.”