52% of surveyed married users met on Jdate
In the “old” days, the only way to meet someone new was at a bar, by being set up on a blind date through a friend/colleague, or by submitting yourself to the will of a matchmaker. These days, roughly 40% of American singles use dating sites. This is true across most ages, preferences, and religions.
Jewish dating sites, in particular, have become an important tool for Jewish singles seeking their beshert.
Recommended Dating Sites
These are some of the most recommended Jewish dating sites:
Our top picks for December 2024
9.9
9.9
Leading Jewish dating site
Benefits of Jewish Dating Websites
Jewish dating websites are a breath of fresh air for Jewish singles. Dating is a difficult game for anyone. After all, it isn’t simply a case of finding someone who looks good, is in your age range, and doesn’t drive you insane.
You need someone with similar tastes and political beliefs. You’ll connect best with someone who has your ideals and with whom you feel chemistry. If you’re Jewish, there is often pressure to end up with another Jew. In the US, where the Jewish population is only 2% of the whole, this narrows down the dating pool quite a bit.
Both Orthodox Jewish dating sites and broader Jewish dating sites have been the answer for countless Jewish singles over the years. They are a fantastic alternative to being forced onto a blind date with a “nice Jewish boy/girl” from shul or submitting a dating resume to a matchmaker in the community.
Jewish dating websites typically put you in the driver’s seat, allowing you to make the decisions and increase your odds of finding the perfect man or woman.
How Do Jewish Dating Websites Work?
Most Jewish dating websites will not confirm your religion. They will ask you what religion you practice as part of their registration questionnaire. In most cases, they only include options for the Jewish faith, but they won’t ask you to prove it.
For strictly Orthodox Jewish dating websites, this may be different. For example, they may ask not only if you are Jewish, but also whether your mother and maternal grandmother are Jewish. If you converted, they may ask for proof of your conversion certificate from an Orthodox beit din. Again, however, this tends to only be the case for Orthodox Jewish dating sites.
For Jewish dating sites that extend beyond the Orthodox community, there is typically a choice of how to describe your Jewishness. For example, you can choose culturally Jewish, Reform, Reconstructionist, Traditional, Conservative, Conservadox, Orthodox, and a variety of other options. Sometimes, one of these options is “other” or “not Jewish.” This theoretically exposes the sites to deceptive users who can simply pretend to be Jewish. Typically, it’s very uncommon on Jewish dating websites and other religion-specific sites for someone who is a different religion to choose to sign up.
Our top picks for December 2024
How to Join Jewish Dating Sites
Most Jewish dating websites ask for some basic information upfront when you register. This generally includes your name, email, religion, gender, and dating preferences. Some of these sites will also allow you to sign up via Facebook, in which case many of these areas are automatically filled in.
You will need to add at least one picture and provide more detailed information about yourself to complete your profile. This, however, can be done at a later date after creating your initial account.
Profile Tips for Jewish Singles
To help you get the most from the best Jewish dating apps and Jewish dating websites, keep these tips in mind:
1. Be Concise
Your profile should be detailed but still concise. In other words, it should contain all of the things that matter and none of the things that don’t.
That might sound complicated, but it’s actually pretty simple.
Rather than listing a huge number of bands you like and gigs you have attended, just state what sort of music you like. Instead of going into detail about your daily hobbies and habits, be brief. They don’t need to know that you saw Metallica in 2020 and once bumped into Axl Rose in a bar, but they do need to know that you like rock/metal and going to gigs.
Long-winded descriptions about yourself will bore them. If your profile overwhelms them with text the length of the entire Torah, they’re more likely to ignore it altogether. It’s better to provide a brief overview on your profile and then fill in the details later in private messages and on dates.
2. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously
Don’t take yourself too seriously in your profile. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to be funny. Humor is subjective and forced humor doesn’t always come across well. You don’t want to write a profile that is just a copy/paste of your resume. Relax and be yourself.
Furthermore, don’t only focus on yourself in your dating profile. You can also talk about things you may like in a partner, such as someone who might go hiking with you or who would like to cook gourmet Shabbat dinners with you. You should avoid talking about physical preferences since this is off-putting. Instead, talk about character traits — you’re looking for someone warm, kind, and interested in having a Jewish home.
3. Broaden Your Search
In the beginning, you can afford to be selective, limiting your search to people in a specific area and with exacting personality types. However, the happiest couples and the people who stay together the longest are not necessarily the ones who match 100%.
Some things are going to be vitally important to you and absolute dealbreakers no matter what. Other preferences can be relaxed and should be relaxed if you find that you’re not finding the right people.
4. Have Faith
Online dating, just like any other form of dating, takes time. You read stories about people finding love on Jewish dating sites after being members for just a few days, but they are often the exception.
You need to bide your time. Go on a few dates, speak with as many Jewish singles as you can, and have faith that the right person will come along.
Our top picks for December 2024
What Are the Best Jewish Dating Apps?
JDate is perhaps the most well-known of all Jewish dating sites and apps. They’re also very successful, boasting that a 2011 study found that of all Jewish marriages that started online, JDate was responsible for 52% of them.
However, just because it’s the most famous Jewish dating site doesn’t mean that it’s the only one. JDate has inspired many other paid and free Jewish dating sites, helping to create millions of matches and thousands of weddings.
You also don’t need to limit yourself to specifically Jewish sites or apps. In fact, some of the internet’s most popular dating websites also have options for Jewish singles, including eHarmony, Match.com, and Elite Singles.
There are free Jewish dating sites, premium Jewish dating sites, Orthodox Jewish dating sites, and a host of dating apps available right at your fingertips. The right one for you will depend on everything from your location to your budget, and preferences.
Get started with your online dating journey today. Check out our recommended Jewish dating sites in the table above, read in-depth reviews of your favorites, and use our comparison tool to easily check which sites have the features you want.
