The reality show, in which Orthodox Jew Aleeza Ben Shalom, who has been a professional matchmaker since 2007, brings together Jewish singles from different cultures, has managed to reach a very wide audience.
To date, Ben Shalom has helped nearly 200 Jewish couples marry. Throughout the series, the audience witnesses many topics that the candidates are obsessed with, from the thickness of their eyebrows to their Sephardic origins, from their knowledge of Hebrew to the rules of kashrut.
In the series, more than ten single Jews receive coaching from Shalom and have their first dates in front of the cameras. Participants from the USA and Israel can be Orthodox, conservative, or Reformist. The production simultaneously introduces some Jewish concepts to the masses, such as Tikkun Olam (doing good deeds throughout your life to repair the world) and Shomer Negia (no physical contact during the first few meetings in order to clearly determine the nature of the bond that can be formed with the person).
Aleeza Ben Shalom is an American-Israeli matchmaker, relationship coach, author, and reality television personality. She is prominently featured in the Netflix series Jewish Matchmaking, which follows her attempts at helping Jewish singles in the United States and Israel find love and get married.
Shalom's motto, which she repeats many times in the series for a healthy and lasting relationship, is as follows: "If you have any doubts, meet him and continue dating him until you hate him." Saying that this suggestion is universal, Ben Shalom states that she does her matchmaking work with the teachings of the Torah, but that she can help everyone in the world.
Arranged marriages were previously discussed negatively in Netflix's 'Shtisel' and 'Unorthodox' series. With this production, the concept of meeting through a matchmaker, which is very important in Orthodox Judaism but is still very popular in all parts of the world as a reality of today, is adapted to the modern day and placed on a more sympathetic ground.
Harmonie Krieger is one of the candidates who was warned not to touch the man she met on the series, but the 44-year-old participant from Los Angeles hugs the man she met at the first meeting. The series is full of funny moments like these that show that one cannot easily give up on one's cultural characteristics.
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