Have you ever thought about where Jewish men and women find potential dates (or maybe even booty calls)? We have the answer you’ve been waiting for: J-Swipe (also known as every Jewish mother’s dream). J-Swipe is a free app that connects Jewish men and women based on location and personal beliefs/preferences – Kosher/not Kosher, denomination, etc. – and it makes J-Date seem like ancient history. You swipe right if you like what you see, and left if you don’t; if you have a match with someone (that is, if they’ve also swiped right on your picture), you can chat with your match – and who knows, maybe you’ll end up going on a date! Fun fact: If you have a match the app goes wild! It reads “Mazel Tov!” and there’s an animation of someone being lifted up and tossed around in a chair. And you might even think to yourself, “Oh happy day!!! My mother doesn’t have to sign me up for a single’s event at my synagogue!”
Here’s how it works: first, you log in using your Facebook account (don’t worry, your J-Swipe habits are NOT posted to your Facebook timeline) so J-Swipe can help you create a profile more efficiently, which shows your mutual friends, likes, basic info, and some cute pictures of you (don’t worry, you get to pick them); that way you get can get to swiping ASAP to find your ideal Jewish husband or wife. To complete your profile, they also ask you two extra questions (that, I believe, are pretty significant in the world of Jewish dating): “What sect of Judaism do you identify with?” and “Do you keep Kosher?” After all, you probably want perspective dates to know that you indeed prefer machitzas (barriers separating men and women in orthodox synagogues) to egalitarian services on Yom Kippur. The sect options are: Just Jewish, Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Other, or, everyone’s favorite, Willing to Convert. In my opinion, I think it’s quite flattering (although my parents may not agree) that non-Jews sign up for Jewish dating sites so they can find their perfect Jewish guy or gal to date (and who could blame them?)!
Though I am in a committed and loving relationship, I created a profile for research purposes (research for this article, duh!). My first match: a junior from Brandeis; let’s call him Jeremy. We have 32 mutual friends, he’s Reform, but, oh no, he doesn’t keep Kosher! I’m sorry, Jeremy, but I’m gonna have to swipe left. Next guy: let’s call him Jacob. 88 mutual friends, he also goes to Brandeis, and omg, HOLD THE PHONE! He’s Conservative and keeps Kosher! He did USY, Camp Ramah, and reads Harry Potter?! This boy is the one for me (theoretically, of course); swipe right!
All kidding aside, here’s what I really think: J-Swipe is not really my jam. Face to face conversation is definitely the way to go. Chatting with people you don’t actually know (except for looking at their pictures and reading basic info about them) can get really sketchy, really quickly. That being said, the one plus side I do see to J-Swipe is that it (potentially) provides another way Jewish people can “be fruitful and multiply” (which is commanded in the Torah, no less). I believe that providing more opportunities for Jewish men and women to meet each other can help Judaism can grow and flourish. In closing, it’s great that both Jews and non-Jews can partake in this modern cultural phenomenon, and who knows, maybe they’ll meet their future partner on J-Swipe!