Judaism: Understanding and Connecting with the Jewish Faith
The communities and resources of the Internet are perfect for learning about Judaism, and bringing members of the Jewish faith closer together. This guide will teach you about the oldest of the Abrahamic religions, including sacred Jewish texts, Jewish law, and Jewish holidays. There are also resources for helping Jews practice their religion, and tools for learning about Hebrew, Yiddish and other Jewish languages. It is often difficult to find kosher food and wine, but this guide will make that task easier. With the Internet, Jewish news, Judaica products, Jewish blogs and dating sites are also at your fingertips.
Expand All Guide SectionsThe Jewish Faith
The oldest of the Abrahamic religions, Judaism is, surprisingly, not well understood. The common ... read more »
Practicing Judaism
Practicing Judaism can be tricky, even for the strictest observers. With a lunar calendar, days ... read more »
Learning About Hebrew, Yiddish, and Other Jewish Languages
Hebrew is the holy language of Judaism, the language of the Torah and of prayer. But for hundreds, ... read more »
Finding and Learning About Kosher Food and Wine
The word kosher has crept into the English language retaining most of its original meaning of ... read more »
Being Part of the Jewish Community
The Jewish community is a strong one, but with such a small number of Jews spread over the world, ... read more »
Locating a Synagogue
Finding the right synagogue, or any synagogue at all, can be a challenge. It can seem like an ... read more »
Jewish Dating and Networking Sites
This is the section your mother's been wanting you to read. With the proliferation of Jewish dating sites, you can easily hook up with other Jewish singles for a nice conversation, a fun relationship, or even marriage. We've sifted through the Jewish dating sites and have found the ones that best help you find whatever, and whomever, your heart desires.
Dulcinea's Insight
- The Jewish online dating world and social networking scene is a mixed one. There are very observant Orthodox Jews looking for marriage or companionship, there are secular Jews trying to find a date for Friday night, there are Jews of all types looking to connect with Israel, and there are even non-Jews who want to find a nice Jewish girl or boy. Deciding what you want before you start looking will help you figure out which of the sites recommended in this section are the best fit for you.
- Many Jewish social networking or dating sites offer free limited memberships that allow you to browse profiles and create your own, but require fee-based memberships for e-mailing, instant messaging, and other easy ways to interact with other members.
- For a humorous look at the strange world of online "frum" classifieds, take a look at this article from the weekly Silicon Valley newspaper Metro.
Dulcinea's Picks
For casual Jewish dating or social networking ...
JDate is the most popular Jewish dating site around, even attracting non-Jews who dig the scene. Primarily for a younger, hipper audience, this site is free for limited use, ensuring a large membership, but if you want more power to connect you should pay the $25-$40 monthly fee to find your special Jewish someone. JDate offers many features such as member profiles, instant messaging, e-mail, and "flirts" (a light way of letting someone know you're interested).
Shmooze , a mix of Facebook, JDate, and MySpace, is not just for dating. With Shmooze you can post a profile, create a blog, show your pictures, buy Israeli (and other) music, and more, all for free. Explore all the members and groups this hip network has to offer or just, well, shmooze.
Frumhere 's focus on community, connections, inspiration, and prayer give it a vibe that's laid-back and less intense than many other social networking sites. You can use the site to reconnect with old friends; find people to pray with; share your ideas, interests, and photos with other members; and, if you like, look for people to date. If you're observant and don't feel like jumping into the more intense dating sites, Frumhere's friendly site could be for you.
Koolanoo features some useful options for connecting with others such as its "Hookup" section, where you can let others know if you'll be in a certain city and want to meet up. Its quick personality test with questions like "Coffee or Tea" and "Health Nut or Mcfriendly" is indicative of its hip, younger focus.
Jewish Mingle is similar to other sites in price structure but lets you make use of their unique "click" feature to find matches while maintaining some anonymity. If you click "yes" on another member's profile, Jewish Mingle sends them a list of possible matches that includes you, without telling them which people actually clicked yes. It's like a more sophisticated version of passing one of those "Do you like me? Check yes, no, or maybe" notes in elementary school.
For Jewish marriage sites ...
Frumster , with features and a name similar to Friendster, is almost a matchmaking service rather than a dating site. All applications are carefully screened for decency and with the standards of the Torah in mind. Dishonesty and misconduct are strictly forbidden, as are non-Jewish members and those not sincerely looking for marriage. It offers the typical free limited membership, with full membership available for $10.95 a month and up ("scholarships" are available for those in financial need).
DosiDate began in Israel and has recently expanded to the Diaspora, making it a particularly good site to find Israeli connections. Similar to Frumster, this site is meant for Orthodox Jews looking for marriage and allows you to tailor your searches with very specific preferences for dress, observance, and other personal/religious characteristics.
SawYouAtSinai does not allow browsing of its member profiles, making it a matchmaking site rather than a social network. After signing up, you choose two matchmakers to handle your case and find your match among the thousands of members in the system, a human touch that sets it apart from most other dating sites.
for Jewish forums about Jewish and personal issues ...
FrumTeens has a number of helpful, active forums open to anyone but aimed toward observant Jews. Despite the site's name, the forums are useful for Jews of any age, and provide a supportive, educational, and inspiring community.
Frum Support hosts a variety of forums for the frum community about specific medical issues. You'll find a good deal of information on care, treatment, and coping here, as well as emotional and religious support and prayers.
To access support and community for gay Jews ...
GayJews.net describes itself as "the crossroads of the world's two greatest neuroses." The playful tone extends to the rest of the site, a fun and simple way to connect with other gay Jews worldwide. You can link your profile with Yahoo!, AOL, and MSN IM services to chat with other members through GayJews.net. Take its GayJew-IQ Test to see how well your Gaydar/Jewdar is working.
OrthoGays.org is not a dating site but rather provides much-needed support, education, and community to gay frum Jews. On this easy-to-navigate site you'll find health and community resources, religious discussion about homosexuality, an events calendar, as well as a useful list of links and organizations with similar purposes.
JQYouth is a serious support group for gay Jews between the ages of 18 and 30 who come from a frum background. On its site you'll find an online support and discussion forum, a way to sign up for the forum's e-mail list, as well as information on the groups' monthly in-person discussion and support groups. Among the numerous resources here, the site also provides a link for those wanting more anonymity, or for those not old enough to join, where they can contact a member of the support team for help, advice, and support. This site is not for dating purposes.
Jewish Blogs
Jewish culture is not exactly known for its quiet reserve. Whether kvetching, kvelling, or ... read more »
Finding Jewish News
There is a great tradition of Jewish news, and many Jewish publications have served as a vanguard ... read more »
Judaica Products
Judaism is not lacking in Jewish products. Now location is no impediment to filling your home with ... read more »
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