The Jewish Matchmaker

What if your first date with your soulmate was a couples photo shoot with someone you’ve never met? In this episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom chats with Paisley Druin who started “Stranger Sessions” as a creative photography project that is a blind date for a couples photoshoot. Part photo session, part matchmaking. Will the couple like one another or stay together? Tune in for the results. From reading...

People say love is blind... and that's the problem. In this episode, Lori Palatnik and Aleeza Ben Shalom unpack why “love conquers all” is one of the most dangerous dating myths, what happens when attraction overrides clarity, and how ignoring one value mismatch can cost years of your life. From dealbreakers to objective dating criteria, this conversation gets into the uncomfortable truth abou...

You can love someone deeply and still slowly destroy the relationship over money. In this episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom and Rifka Lebowitz get into the silent expectations couples carry into marriage, the emotional weight behind spending and saving, and why so many people confuse financial stability with emotional security. They talk about dating people with money and the control that can come with i...

What does it mean to finally belong after spending your whole life feeling different? In this episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom chats with Menashe Lopez about the unbelievable chain of events that started with his mother’s curiosity in a Texas library and slowly transformed a Christian church into a community obsessed with Judaism. Menashe opens up about growing up caught between worlds and trying to bel...

Why do people say they want marriage but date like they’re waiting for something better? Aleeza Ben Shalom sits down with Sarah Pachter, matchmaker, author, and co-host of Israel’s hit dating show Vort, for a conversation about attraction, timing, and why people talk themselves out of relationships that could actually work. From grocery-store matches and matchmaking instincts to rejecting her husb...

When grief has nowhere to go, it can turn into something dangerous fast. In this conversation with Aleeza Ben Shalom, Elana Israel opens up about losing her best friend, carrying a devastating secret, and using drugs to numb the pain until her life unraveled completely. From the streets of Kensington to 12-step recovery, making amends to nearly 40 people, and learning how honesty rebuilds trust, t...

What if the person you want is not the person you need? In this episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom and Lori Palatnik explore the spiritual perspective on soulmates, marriage, and the choices that shape who you become with someone else. The conversation moves from the Jewish idea of destined soulmates into the hard realities of attraction, respect, toxic relationships, gray divorce, and why parents may kno...

When fear, chemistry, and timing collide, dating gets real fast. In this episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom tackles the questions people usually wrestle with in private: why we ignore red flags when someone is attractive, what real investment in dating actually looks like, and whether you can want a partner without truly having space for one. She also gets brutally honest about dealbreakers, the fear of e...

Why do you hold things in… and then say them in the worst possible way? In this episode, Aleeza sits down with communication expert Elana Israel to unpack what’s really happening in those moments—when you keep things bottled up until they spill out, use a tone that puts someone on defense, or ask a question that shifts everything off course. This is a conversation about honesty, self-abandonment,...

He grew up between worlds - Filipino by birth, Israeli by life - until he made a choice that would change everything. In this episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom sits down with singer Howie Danao to explore a journey shaped by identity, faith, and purpose. From questioning his place in the Israeli army to choosing conversion, and from October 7 to creating music that brings light to others, his path is any...

Should you hide your gray hair? When do you tell someone you’ve been married twice? And how do you stay open and playful without getting hurt? In this unfiltered Q&A, Aleeza Ben Shalom takes on the questions people usually dance around: confidence, timing, emotional risk, and the patterns that quietly sabotage dating. Honest, practical, and a little uncomfortable in the best way, this episode...

He’s not a traditional matchmaker, but he's but he’s been bringing people and food together for over 20 years. In this episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom sits down with Joseph Gitler, founder of Leket Israel, the country’s largest food rescue organization. What started as late-night food pickups became a nationwide network connecting surplus to need and people to purpose. From wartime pivots after Oct...

They both said no at first… and now they’re married. In this episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom sits down with Yaakov and Tehila Zimmerman to share the unlikely path that led from reluctant introductions to marriage just 20 weeks later. Along the way: reserve duty after October 7, a first date that ended in a bomb shelter, and a three-day Rosh Hashanah that made them realize something real was unfolding....

What happens when you open your home and it turns into a global community? In this episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom sits down with Jodi Samuels, founder of JIC, whose journey began with hosting 36 international students for Rosh Hashanah just weeks after moving to New York. That one meal grew into a worldwide network helping Jews far from home find belonging. From raising a daughter with Down syndrome t...

Is it real interest or just attraction? In this Q&A episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom answers the dating questions that feel hardest to decode: long-distance beginnings, mismatched religious levels, and those awkward fiancé phone calls where the conversation stalls. She shares why slowing down physical connection can clarify everything, how to navigate faith differences with honesty, and what it mean...

What happens when two people almost say no? In this powerful episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom sits down with Rabbi Leo Dee and his wife, Aliza, to talk about grief, healing, and second love. After losing his wife and two daughters in a terror attack, Rabbi Leo began exploring what it takes to move forward without leaving the past behind. At the same time, Aliza was facing her own crossroads - tempted to...

What if the biggest threat to your relationship isn’t your partner - but your fear? In this honest conversation, Aleeza Ben Shalom sits down with communication expert Elana Israel to explore why smart, self-aware people keep repeating the same relationship patterns. From people-pleasing and fear of conflict to learning how to sit with uncomfortable emotions, this episode offers practical tools and...

What is love? In this rich, thought-provoking conversation, Aleeza Ben Shalom sits down with Rabbi Nir Menussi to explore love, intimacy, and commitment through a Jewish and mystical lens. From the idea of God as the third presence in a relationship, to why self-acceptance matters more than self-love, to how faith plays a role when certainty disappears, this episode invites you into a deeper way o...

What do you do when someone seems interested but won’t say it clearly? When does “having standards” start feeling more like a wall than a boundary? Should you move cities for the chance at love — or stay rooted where you are? In this Q&A episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom tackles the dating questions that live in the gray areas: unclear communication, mismatched styles, and the fine line between real...

What does building community teach us about love, leadership, and loneliness? In this episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom sits down with David Siegel, former CEO of Meetup, to talk about the loneliness epidemic, trust, and the hard lessons that come from ambition, failure, and growth. From why Meetup was born after 9/11, to the leadership mistake that cost him his job, to how the same principles apply to d...

Danielle Yablonka didn’t set out to be a pageant girl — or a spokesperson. Yet here she is: Miss Herzliya, Israel advocate, and young Jewish woman figuring out love in real time. In this thoughtful conversation, Aleeza Ben Shalom and Danielle talk dating, values, aliyah, and what matters when the spotlight fades. From losing modeling opportunities to finding deeper meaning, from Gen-Z hasbara to w...

After unimaginable loss, Rav Doron Perez chose connection over collapse. In this deeply moving episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom speaks with the Rav Doron, the Chair of World Mizrachi and President of WZO, about grief, marriage, and what it means to truly see another person. From how couples survive heartbreak, to why empathy requires letting others grieve differently, to the radical idea that pain can u...

You asked, Aleeza answered. In this Q&A episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom takes on the real dating questions you've been DMing — the messy, complicated, no-easy-answer ones. Should you move in when he’s just been laid off but you’re emotionally invested? What do you do when values and chemistry align, but your personalities move at totally different speeds? When is the right time to share somethi...

What happens when you stop chasing the finish line and start trusting the run? In this episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom speaks with Beatie Deutsch, Israeli national champion, “Marathon Mother,” and Olympic hopeful, about resilience, faith, and releasing control. From running for Israel under the threat of antisemitism to redefining success beyond medals and timelines, Beatie shares how pacing, presence,...

When influencers lost their livelihoods for standing with Israel, Brian stepped up. In this inspiring episode, Aleeza Ben Shalom talks with Brian Spivak, founder of Barzel Media, the “business matchmaker” connecting pro-Israel creators with brands that share their values. A dad of two who just turned 40 and is looking for his match, Brian is loving Jewish life in Tel Aviv — where all the cool peop...