Programs for young professionals draw audience
I want to officially introduce you Jewish singles looking to mingle to an organization called Mesorah NJ.
Mesorah got started in 2015, after founder Rabbi Yehoshua Lewis realized there really wasn’t any local programming available specifically for young Jewish professionals to attend after graduating from college. Fast forward eight years and the organization now has hundreds of people coming through its doors each year for events, programming, Shabbatones and trips.
In 2022, Mesorah hosted 406 social events, 458 Shabbat meals, and 58 trips, in addition to 1:1 meetings and torah classes. In total, 447 people participated in one event, and more than 300 people attended two or more events. They must be doing something right to have such a high rate of returning participants.
Why am I telling you about this organization? Because many couples have met through Mesorah NJ! Asked how many, Rabbi Lewis said, “I don’t know exactly how many couples met at Mesorah, but probably a few dozen over the years.”
Mesorah programs are not specifically dating events, and most are not even advertised as being for singles, but a large majority of attendees happen to be single and thus create new connections, friendships and even marriages.
While I did not meet my husband through Mesorah, we did attend a lot of events together when we were dating, through our engagement, and we continue to attend as a married couple. We met a lot of friends, including some of our best friends today, through Mesorah programs. In fact, we ended up getting quite close with Rabbi Lewis and his family and asked him to marry us.
You can attend Mesorah events throughout the year in Jersey City (JC) and Highland Park (HP). Below is a tentative schedule for March 2023:
MARCH
March 2: Jersey City Pre-Purim social event
March 7: Purim Feast in Highland Park
March 17: Highland Park Shabbaton
March 19: SA Info session
March 31: Jersey City Rooftop Shabbat
You can find all the updates regarding calendar events about a month in advance at: https://www.mesorahnj.com/calendar.
Happy mingling!
DR. JACQUELINE ROBERMAN-GLYN IS A CONTRIBUTING WRITER TO JLIFE MAGAZINE.
