ARTS&LIFE
TV

continued from page 58

60 | JULY 27 • 2023 

Ben Shalom will host the SpeedDating portion of the 
evening, which will be divided into three age groups: 
22-34, 34-50, 45-70.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
After Netflix dropped the eight episodes of Jewish 
Matchmaking in May, Ben Shalom embarked on her 
world Live Matchmaking Show tour that includes stops 
in the United States, South America, Australia and 
London. With her hectic schedule, which takes her away 
from her home in Pardes Hanna-Karkur, Israel, for two to three 
weeks each month, Ben Shalom counts on her husband, Gershon, 
to hold down the fort with their five children, ages 9-19.
“I have an incredible husband who is supporting me through 
all of this and helping me to get out into the world while he makes 
sure that we have a loving family home environment,
” says Ben 
Shalom, who is originally from Philadelphia, as is Gershon.
Two years ago, at the height of the pandemic, Ben Shalom and 
her family made aliyah to Israel. 
“I wanted to be locked into Israel. It’s not acceptable for a Jew to 
be locked out of their country,
” she said.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF JEWISH 
MATCHMAKING
A year after moving to Israel, Ben Shalom got the call 
from Netflix to star as the Jewish matchmaker in the 
reality series. Filming began in February 2022 and 
wrapped six months later. 
Hundreds of Jewish singles answered the casting call 
and, ultimately, 11 singles were chosen and filmed, but 
only nine Jewish singles — ranging from secular to 
Orthodox, ages 25-52 — made the final cut. Ben Shalom 
and the Netflix crew filmed in Israel, Los Angeles, Miami, Denver, 
Brooklyn, Kansas City and Chicago. 
So, where are they now?
“I encouraged everyone to date off camera to see if something 
was really there. Some continued dating after the filming, but no 
one decided to get engaged or married,
” says Ben Shalom, who 
subscribes to the mantras “Date ’
em ’til you hate ’
em” and “When in 
doubt, go out.
”
On May 3, the same day Jewish Matchmaking first aired on 
Netflix, Shaya Rosenberg, who dated fellow Brooklyn Orthodox 
Jew Fay Brezel on the 

“FINDING YOUR PERSON IS THE HARDEST THING TO DO IN THE 

ENTIRE WORLD, AND THAT’S WHERE I COME IN.”

— ALEEZA BEN SHALOM, MATCHMAKER

continued on page 62

TOP: Now both 
living in Israel, 
Matchmakers 
Aleeza Ben 
Shalom (left) is 
from Philadelphia 
and Shana Tibi 
grew up in West 
Bloomfield

JJJJAMIE GORDON PHOTOGRAPHY

