I have never done online dating because it seems so unnatural and doesn’t fit my personality. Now though, online dating is literally the only avenue! Do I dip my toe in or do I stick with my instincts?
Aleeza Ben Shalom: Both! Don’t date online now. Trust your instincts that it’s not for you. However, at some point you may come to desire dating and online maybe your only option. At that point it’s time to try online dating. Although you may never like it, you’ll appreciate it more when you’re ready.
Michal Naisteter: There are many avenues – chatting with a matchmaker, the Facebook group Corona Crush, sliding into someone’s DMs (aka sending them a private message) and more. Online dating is not a bad thing though, why not try it and see for yourself?
Danielle Selber: This doesn’t have to be a grand, binding decision. Commit to try one app for one week. That’s it! Ask a friend with some online dating experience which app they think would be best for you, or just download the one you have vaguely heard about. At the end of the week, reassess: Was it a positive experience? What suspicions were confirmed? What surprised you? Regardless of outcome, you’ve lost very little in time and energy, and opened the doors wide to potential gain.
About the experts:
Aleeza Ben Shalom is a professional dating coach and founder of Marriage Minded Mentor, which connects singles from around the world with hundreds of trained coaches and matchmakers. She is also the author of the personal growth book “Get Real, Get Married” and an international speaker. She has appeared on BBC World News, NPR, The Huffington Post and writes a regular column on Aish.com. Contact: [email protected]
Michal Naisteter is a senior matchmaker for the national matchmaking firm Three Day Rule. She provides guidance, coaching and matchmaking services to her select roster of clients. She holds a graduate degree in human sexuality from Widener University. Her work has been profiled on Bustle, NPR, Elite Daily and a Philadelphia Inquirer feature. Contact: [email protected]
Danielle Selber is the founder of Tribe 12’s matchmaking initiative, a not-for-profit program for young professionals dating in Philly’s Jewish community. She takes the best elements from the Jewish tradition of matchmaking and reinterprets them to fit modern dating. She received a graduate degree in Jewish studies at Gratz College where she completed a thesis on trends in secular Jewish dating. Her work has been featured on Slate’s “Working” podcast and in the short film “Make Me a Match.” Contact: [email protected]
