Jerusalem, October 26 - Visitors to the entrance level of the Radisson Plaza expressed bewilderment and no small measure of discomfiture today upon observing that at least two of the couples sitting in the leather-appointed space arrived there not as a meeting arranged through a third party to determine marital compatibility, but for some other, unknown, and likely bizarre, purpose.
“It’s actually kind of creepy and it almost messed up my shidduch date,” complained Shprintzie Hirsch, 20. “Instead of discussing life goals, values, and our upbringings, [first-date companion] Baruch [Fleischman] and I kept looking over at the couple in the next set of seats and wondering what gives. It left us with such a weird vibe that we went to a different hotel lobby.”
Hotel guests also noted the anomaly. “When you walk through a nice hotel lobby, you expect to see Haredi would-be couples on first or second dates, as far as the eye can see,” explained vacationer Jack Maslow, 60, of Coral Gables. “Something seemed off this evening - sure enough, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a secular-looking couple just sitting there, each one doing something on a phone. Later, when I came back, a different non-shidduch couple was arguing over something. Not a normal sight in this kind of venue.”
Radisson staff acknowledged the strangeness of the phenomenon. “I’d say it happens maybe once every seven or eight months, tops,” disclosed shift manager Hasan Sayed. “Perhaps a bit more often in peak tourist season, when Christian visitors come through, and they just sit there, unaware of the real purpose of a hotel lobby.”
Under the strict protocols governing dating in the Haredi world, prospective couples meet only through shadchanim, matchmakers, and conduct their first date or dates in public places, to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Only once the two have determined that the match has marriage potential do they make other arrangements for subsequent dates, such as restaurants, activities, or events. Public parks, or other open spaces, and the lobbies of luxury hotels, have proven the only feasible venues for such meetings - and in inclement weather, the lobbies alone must meet the demand.
Shadchanim remain wary. “If we have to come up with guidelines on how to handle such awkward situations, we will,” promised Avigayil Schwartz, 49. “No couple should go into that unequipped. It could derail the entire thing. I will definitely bring this up in my matchmakers’ WhatsApp groups.”
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