Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld
By Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld
This not a new organization. CRISIS is used as a title for this article to emphasize the fact that most people involved in trying to confront the problem of too many singles in the Orthodox community don’t like using the word “crisis” to describe the crisis. No matter how we refer to the issue, it is a serious matter that must be addressed in a serious and responsible manner. No doubt there is a lot of good work being done by a lot of good people and organizations. But there is a need to have a nationally coordinated effort that will yield results.
An underutilized resource in facilitating shidduchim is the place that all Orthodox Jews call home . . . their shul (synagogue). Jews come to shul not just to daven but to meet and interact with others. It is the place where singles get invited to couples for a Shabbos meal, where events are held, where friends are made, and where there is a caring rabbi and rebbetzin.
Now if we can only get shuls far and wide to communicate with each other in an organized fashion to share information with shuls throughout the country. Who is more qualified to know the needs, religious commitment, character, and background information of young men and women than their neighbors from the community? Wouldn’t it be great if this precious information could be exchanged with other equally qualified representatives of singles near and far?
I am glad to report that there is a movement afoot to accomplish just this goal. Thanks to some energetic men and women, a network is slowly being built with shuls across the nation in cooperation with Chazaq Shidduch Network, the nucleus for all the updated information. The idea is for the participating shuls to form a committee to assemble names of eligible male and female singles along with their pertinent information and to share that with a central committee. The gathered information will then be entered into a computerized program which has already been specially designed for this effort. There will also be a paid professional who will coordinate the data and get responses to the participating committees.
We are also in contact with rabbanim, including Rabbi Eytan Feiner of Kneseth Israel in Far Rockaway (the White Shul), who have agreed to lend halachic and spiritual guidance to the program. The combination of rabbis and dedicated volunteers assures that the program will be run efficiently and within Torah guidelines.
The beauty of this program is that it ties diverse communities from across the Orthodox spectrum from Modern Orthodox to chassidish to yeshivish (for lack of a better term). It will also receive the input from dedicated men and women who know their shuls and who know their singles.
This is an ambitious program, but with the proper dedication and Hashem’s help this should prove to be a major milestone in the effort to address this issue of growing concern.
For more information on how you can get involved, please contact Jewishfamily@
chazaq.org.
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld is the rabbi of the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills. He previously served in Twin Rivers, NJ, and in Staten Island and is a rabbinic coordinator for the Orthodox Union, where he has served since 1984. Rabbi Schonfeld is also immediate past president of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens.