Solutions to the ‘Shidduch Crisis’
Alan Zeitlin’s wonderful article, “Invest in These Things If You Care About Jewish Survival” (Feb. 20), broached a subject that gets very scant coverage in the American Jewish press and is little discussed in synagogues – namely, the problem of Jews finding mates.
I was in the dating boat some years ago and found it very frustrating – dealing with online sites, shadchans, speed dating events, and never did the shuls I attended do anything to help divorcées, widows, or young singles. I luckily found a wonderful lady on Match.com – but it was like a lightning strike, which many are not so lucky to experience.
Zeitlin writes: “As you sit down at your next Shabbos meal and look into the eyes of your spouse and your children, know that there are tons of Jewish singles who yearn to get married but have been marginalized and feel frustrated. They are only one party away or one meal invitation away from finding their bashert. Do something to help and don’t make singles feel like they have to wait for Moshiach or for when Elon Musk decides to make a party for Jews on Mars…The failure of Jewish organizations to do more for Jewish singles is one of the greatest tragedies few people talk about.”
It’s a mitzvah to match someone, and anyone can be a shadchan. It would be great if Agudath Israel, the Orthodox Union, Chabad, local shuls, etc., would just counsel their rabbis to tell folks at kiddush to introduce themselves to that single stranger. Maybe you know someone he or she could date! Hold shabbatons for singles of different age groups, too. Getting folks involved in activities would help, too, as opposed to just singles events, which can be high-pressure for some.
Thanks, Mr. Zeitlin.
Ken Reid
Via Email
Glimpse into the Future of Warfare
I fully agree with your editorial of March 13, “Operation Epic Fury Is an Advertisement for American Predominance.” You opine that the war, while considered to be a regional Mideast conflict, is much more than that, and that it also sends a message to Russia and China about the great strength of the United States military. I will go even one step further, and assert that it also has broader military implications beyond just China and Russia.
Although the Iran war is being fought on a much smaller scale than large world wars, it may be the most complex in the history of warfare. Consider that Israel, allied with the United States, is simultaneously fighting four different adversaries: Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, on four different fronts – Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and the Strait of Hormuz – in six dimensions: on the ground, underground, on the sea, under the sea, in the air, and in space, using both conventional weapons and munitions, and also augmented with new smart bombs and computer-directed, laser-guided missiles and drones.
I submit that the Iran war is a glimpse into the future of warfare. We are seeing before our very eyes a revolution in the very nature of warfare, evolving from that of the conventional warfare of the 20th century into that of intelligence-prompted, computer-directed, smart warfare we will see in the 21st century. The current war is a microcosm of smart warfare, with smart bombs and laser-guided drones and missiles replacing vast armies and air armadas colliding on large battlefields.
Contrast that with the parallel war raging between Russia and Ukraine, where thousands, or tens of thousands, of troops are being slaughtered in meat-grinder battles in which victories are sometimes measured in yards of territory gained. I think that kind of warfare will seem primitive when compared to the nature of future warfare, which we are getting a glimpse of with the Iran war.
Max Wisotsky
Highland Park, N.J.
Spain’s Moral Disgrace
American Jews should do the right thing and cancel their trips to Spain in response to the announcement by Spain’s Foreign Ministry that it has permanently withdrawn its ambassador to Israel. Spain’s announcement that it is eliminating its ambassadorial position in Israel, at the very moment Israel is fighting for its life against Iran and Hezbollah, is a moral disgrace. American Jews should respond by immediately canceling all planned trips to Spain.
During the Holocaust, Francoist Spain refused to take up arms against the Nazis, and what is worse, Spain gave Hitler’s S.S. their infamous Jewish Archive (Archivo Judaico) with records of all Jews who lived in Spain. Israel is trying to ensure that Iran, which for decades has had “Death to Israel” as its slogan and has been the sponsor of Hezbollah and Hamas, cannot continue to be an existential threat. Spain has once again completely lost its moral compass.
Moshe Phillips
National Chairman,
Americans For a Safe Israel (AFSI)