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Check out the Shabbatness blog every Sunday night for your weekly fix on life, love, and the lessons and laughs we can take away from it all. Get advice and anecdotes on dating and matchmaking, reviews on hot date spots in NYC, and Q & A from the Shabbatness community on tackling texting, Tinder, breaking up, making up, and everything in between.

October 1, 2017

The Ol’ Bait-and-Switch

“My company’s Board of Trustees is starting an education division, and I think you’d be a great fit,” he told me, handing me his business card. “I’ll shoot you over our proposal, and let’s discuss over coffee next week.” I had met this guy during a brunch with friends one summer afternoon, and he and I seemed to have a lot of synergy with our work experience. After some back-and-forth over email and some time reviewing the PowerPoint he sent me, I felt prepared for our meeting. The day of, however, he shoots me a text: “Stuck at the office. Let’s move it to right after work. Caffé Bene in Midtown at 6?” 6pm soon got pushed to 7pm, then 8, and the venue switched to Hudson Clearwater, a cocktail spot in the West Village. I showed up with a notebook, a pen, and my resume. He showed up with […]
September 24, 2017

Bringing Home the Babka

As the joke goes, the only difference between a Jewish mother and a Rottweiler is that the Rottweiler eventually lets go. Just two weeks into my last serious relationship, I met my ex-boyfriend Benji’s mother. Opting for something a bit more creative than flowers to bring to Shabbat dinner at her home, I scoured the city for the very best babka. As soon as his mother opened the door and handed me a basket to promptly replace my shoes with Japanese slippers, she reached over and took the babka from me, dangling it in the air as if it were a dead mouse. “My little puppy Benjamin Samuel-Ezekiel didn’t tell you that I’m vegan?” she said. By coincidence, the cinnamon walnut loaf I had picked out was both pareve and egg-free! Alas, I was soon told that gluten and sugar were far too problematic, and my babka was promptly banished […]
September 18, 2017

Helping a Brother Out

Yesterday, my baby brother (and only sibling) Drew married the love of his life in a beautiful sunset ceremony overlooking the Hudson River. To say that it was one of the most meaningful, significant weekends of my life would be an understatement. My family has always been close – in fact, my brother and I lived together his first four years here in NYC.  I thought living together was a beautiful bonding experience. He thought it was a living nightmare. In any case, he still trusted me to give the closing speech at the reception last night. I was truly overcome looking out into the crowd to see my handsome, beaming baby bro, his beautiful bride, and our family and friends from both near and far (Brazil!) to be here. I was so excited to share some special stories with everyone there, and I also wanted to share them with […]
September 9, 2017

Hummus Place Heartbreak

Attempting to match a matchmaker is an ambitious move. Once, a coworker of mine told me she was determined to introduce me to a good family friend of hers. The son of a well-known rabbi in Manhattan, he was recently single and had just moved back to the city after years in the Midwest. (Love ‘em when they’re fresh!) As someone I worked with closely, I also considered her a friend who knew me well, and I took her up on the thoughtful offer. I was immediately impressed by his witty text banter and his prompt planning of a date at a swanky speakeasy and live jazz spot in the West Village. The attraction I felt when we met was immediate, and the convo flowed as smooth (but not as dirty…yet) as the nearby Hudson River. At one point, I escaped to the bathroom to see a text from the […]