by SHANI DINOVITZ
Special to The Jewish Times
November 19, 2004 / 6 Kislev 5765 Issue
The Star-K, a local kosher certification agency, recently announced it will award $2,000 to anyone who introduces any woman from Baltimore's Orthodox Jewish community to the man she marries.
The purpose of the program is to provide an incentive for people to seriously consider whether they know any prospective dates for singles Orthodox women in the local community, and to take the intiative or arranging dates for these women.
As the Star-K states on its Web site, a singles "crisis" exists within the Orthodox community, but it is not entirely clear why. Many Orthodox Jews rely on shadchanim, or matchmakers, to arrange for them to meet compatible perons of the opposite sex who share similar life goals.
While this system seems to work for Orthodox men, who typically have lists of prospective women to date, the same cannot be said of Orthodox women.
It is unclear whether the problem lies in a disproportionate ratio of Orthodox women to Orthodox men, whether too many Orthodox women are interested in a single type of man, or whether some other combination of factors is to blame.
Whatever the cause of the singles crisis, the fact is that years of faith in the syetm and positive thinking have collided with harsh reality -- an abundance of single Orthodox women.
"Many people bemoan the problem but few take concrete steps to do something about it," said Dr. Avrom Polloak, president of the Star-K, "We feel that there's a real need for [the program]."
The Star-K, a non-profit organization that certifies as kosher more than 1,000 food plants internationally, will use surplus funding to subsidize the program. The program is the kashrut organization's first foray into the Orthodox singles crisis.
To be eligible for the $2,000 reward, a specific list of conditions must be satisfied. The single woman must be 22 years, and 2 months or older, the couple must be observant, and immediate family members who arrange the match are not eligible for the award.
Moreover, the woman must have lived in Baltimore for at least two years, or her parents must have resided in Baltimore for a year. Both sets of parents, or the prospective bride and groom, must confirm the identity of the shadchan before he or she collects the reward.
If more than one person acts as a matchmaker, the reward is divided accordingly. And if the couple does not make it the alter, Star-K does not pay.
Dr. Pollak stressed that the singles crisis is not unique to Baltimore. He said the program is intended to generate buzz "across the Orthodox world" and to inspire similar initiatives in other cities.
While the Star-K's program does not begin until Dec. 7, 2004, it has already generated much discussion in the local Orthodox community.
"I think any program that focuses on initiating a solution is great," said Lolly Friedman, an aspiring architect and local Orthodox mother of six. Mrs. Friedman finds time to dabble in matchmaking between attending graduate school and teaching at Bais Yaakov School for Girls.
"The fact that the Star-K is willing to take this step is a very nice gesture. I think it's a wonderful program," she said.Mrs. Friedman acknowledged that a singles crisis exists, and said that her interest in bringing couples together, like that of many local matchmakers, is not influenced by money.
"There's no high like seeing two people that you brought together happy," she said. At the same time, the reward money offered by the Star-K, and the attention generated by the program, can provide a much-needed