JERUSALEM, Israel โ Thousands of Jewish singles from around the world logged on July 29 for a large-scale virtual speed-dating event organized by Partners in Torah, Aish and CoronaCrush, part of a growing international effort to help Jews form relationships across geographic and communal boundaries.
Organizers had promoted the event as the largest Jewish virtual speed-dating gathering ever and said before it took place that they expected more than 10,000 participants.
The event’s official website confirmed that registration subsequently closed and that participants were offered as many as seven matches during the program. The organizers divided the event into two sessions to accommodate different time zones, including participants in Israel, Europe, South Africa, the United States, Canada, South America and Australia.
However, as of Aug. 12, organizers had not publicly released a verified final attendance figure or the total number of dates completed. The figure of more than 10,000 therefore remains the pre-event participation target rather than a confirmed final count.
The initiative brought together Partners in Torah, Aish and CoronaCrush, along with dozens of Jewish organizations internationally. Event listings published by Jewish community organizations before July 29 described participation by more than 80 partner organizations and projected attendance from five continents.
The timing coincided with the period surrounding Tu B’Av, traditionally associated with love and matchmaking in Jewish life.
Matching Jewish Singles Across Borders
Participants completed questionnaires outlining their preferences, interests, religious observance and relationship goals. Organizers then used the information to select potential matches.
According to Partners in Torah, each participant could receive as many as seven matches and meet them through brief one-on-one video conversations. Participants could indicate afterward whether they wanted to continue communicating with a particular match. When interest was mutual, organizers facilitated an introduction.
The event was open to Jewish singles across religious and communal backgrounds, including participants ranging from unaffiliated Jews to members of Orthodox communities. Matches took preferred levels of religious observance and age ranges into account.
The model grew out of CoronaCrush, which began during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 as an effort to connect Jewish singles when conventional dating had become difficult.
CoronaCrush says it subsequently organized more than 60 speed-dating events, with more than half of participants typically receiving at least one mutual match.
Previous Event Produced Marriages
The July event followed a large virtual matchmaking initiative the previous year.
Aish said more than 6,500 Jewish singles participated in that event and that more than 40 percent went on a second date. The organization said the initiative resulted in meaningful relationships and several marriages.
Among those marriages were Gila and Neriya, whose relationship began with a short online conversation.
Gila, originally from London, had been preparing to make aliyah when she encountered information about the event on Instagram. She initially had doubts about participating.
Neriya, an American who had moved to Israel to study in yeshiva, was looking specifically for someone prepared to build a life in Israel.
They were matched during the event.
After their initial video conversation, they spoke for approximately two hours that night and continued communicating regularly. They later met in person and became engaged about three months after first meeting online.
They married in February.
“I never thought it would happen this way, but I’m so grateful it did,” Gila said in material released ahead of this year’s event.
An Eighth Attempt Led to Marriage
Another participant, Goldie, entered the previous event after having already tried seven speed-dating programs during the preceding three years.
“I believe in putting myself out there as much as I can,” she said. “If Hashem wants me to find someone, then I have to allow for the opportunity.”
Her eighth attempt proved different.
Goldie was matched with seven men, including Barak, a Los Angeles psychologist whose parents are Israeli. Their scheduled conversation ended just as the two felt they were beginning to connect.
Barak called afterward, and they spoke for another two hours. The pair continued speaking almost daily before he traveled to meet her.
They dated for six months and became engaged in Israel in February. They married in June and said they planned to make aliyah. Their story was among the success stories highlighted ahead of the July 29 event.
Matchmaking as Jewish Continuity
For the organizations behind the initiative, the project is intended to address more than the difficulties individual Jewish singles face in finding compatible partners.
Aish has explicitly described its matchmaking effort as connected to Jewish continuity, particularly in the period following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel and amid wider concerns about the future of Jewish communities.
The virtual format also removes a significant geographic obstacle for Jews living outside major Jewish population centers.
Participants in previous programs have come from Israel, the United States, Canada, Britain, South Africa, Brazil, France, Sweden and other countries.
Rabbi Steven Burg, CEO of Aish, said ahead of the event that bringing Jewish singles together represented an investment in the Jewish future.
“The Jewish response to building the future has always been through relationships and family,” Burg said.
The July 29 gathering extended that principle into the digital age, allowing thousands of Jewish singles who might otherwise never have encountered one another to meet across cities, countries and continents.
The immediate outcome of those meetings remains unknown. Organizers have not yet published final figures for mutual matches, follow-up dates or relationships resulting from the 2026 event.
If previous years are an indication, however, the longer-term measure of the event will not be the number of people who logged on July 29. It will be how many of those brief introductions ultimately became lasting Jewish relationships and families.
