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An Orthodox congregation in Manhattan launches a matchmaking initiative as a response to the Oct. 7 attack in Israel
(New York Jewish Week) — Since Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, there has been an outpouring of fundraisers and activism from New York synagogues and Jewish institutions. Some shuls are holding fundraisers, others are packing medical kits, still more are writing letters to IDF soldiers.
But at one Upper East Side congregation, a new form of activism is emerging in response to the gruesome attack, ongoing war and rising antisemitism: matchmaking.
The Altneu Synagogue — the innovative, two-year-old Orthodox congregation on the Upper East Side that began after its rabbi, Benjamin Goldschmidt, was fired from Park East Synagogue — has launched a matchmaking initiative for singles in their congregation and their immediate friends.
According to Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt, who founded the synagogue with her husband, making Jewish couples is one way to ensure a Jewish future at a time when so many are worried the idea is in danger.
“Everyone’s trying to figure out what to do from here,” Chizhik-Goldschmidt told the New York Jewish Week. “I felt very much that the best way to respond to darkness and death is to bring in more light and more love and to bring people joy. Traditionally, that is the Jewish response to catastrophe.”
On the evening of Nov. 11, the Altneu sent an email to their congregants announcing the matchmaking initiative; the Goldschmidts also spoke about it after services on Shabbat and posted it on their social media. “The reception has been amazing,” Chizhik-Goldschmidt said, adding that in less than two weeks, almost 200 people have signed up. About half are members of the Altneu.
Chizhik-Goldschmidt said that the idea for a matchmaking program had come up organically among several members over the last few months — interest in Jewish matchmaking was given a pop culture boost when Netflix released their hit series “Jewish Matchmaking” earlier this spring. But as a busy rebbetzin and mother of three young children, Chizhik-Goldschmidt felt she lacked the bandwidth to launch something new.
The events of Oct. 7, however, changed all of that.
“It’s a moment where a lot of people were like, ‘Wow, it’s on me to find someone to continue our Jewish peoplehood,’” said Chizhik-Goldschmidt, who herself was set up with her husband a decade ago at the insistence of community members and mutual friends.
“It has been ringing in my head since Oct. 7 that I need to help,” she added. “We, as a community, need to help those who are looking for love and those who want to start families. This moment shook us awake and I think it sort of forced us to shed a lot of our pretenses, the artifice, all the games that I often see, especially in Manhattan around dating.”
The Altneu approach to matchmaking is, like the synagogue’s name, a combination of old and new: Interested parties fill out a Google form that asks about family upbringing, education, hobbies, passions and religious observance, as well as what they are looking for in a partner. The forms are collected by a group of “connectors,” five women ranging in age from their late 20s through 50s, who will parse the answers and suggest matches. The program is open to singles of any age — the only requirement is that the candidate must have a reference from an Altneu member.
“We did not want to be launching a new version of another dating website — that wasn’t the goal,” Chizhik-Goldschmidt said. “The goal is just to sort of leverage our network.”
Joe Piroozian, who has been attending Altneu Shabbat services and its daily minyan for about 10 months, said that because of the congregation’s strong sense of community, he feels he has a better chance of meeting his future spouse there than on dating apps.
“The best way to do it is to be set up by people who understand your lifestyle, understand where you like to spend your weekends, where you spend your days,” the 29-year-old told the New York Jewish Week. “What better group of people to get set up by than the people that you spend most of your time with?”
A 25-year-old woman in the community, who asked to remain anonymous, said that finding a Jewish partner is “the most important piece of my life,” adding that she chose to participate because of the care the congregation is putting into the process. “Especially with the state of the world, I’m hoping to find my life partner and build a beautiful Jewish home.”
“In a city like New York, there are a lot of ways to meet people. But going to big fundraisers and events and meeting hundreds of people at a time is not always the best, most conducive place to really meet your match,” said another Altneu member, Alexa Sokol, 30, who has been attending services at The Altneu since last spring. “I’m looking forward to having a little bit more of an infrastructure for dating and having an intermediary to feel like there’s more support to the dating process rather than just meeting someone and you’re on your own,” she added.
The Altneu community gathered for a celebration of Purim, March 6, 2021. (Eli Weintraub)
Synagogue matchmaking is not a completely unheard-of practice — as the rebbetzin pointed out, many couples meet at the kiddush buffet that follows services, say, or are introduced by friends and family. But Chizhik-Goldschmidt says the Altneu initiative puts matchmaking on the communal agenda. “We’ll talk about assimilation, but what are we actually doing to fight assimilation?” she said.
Eden Schonfeld Fischman, one of the matchmakers, said that the program felt different to her because it emphasizes community involvement and intergenerational connections, without feeling stuffy or formal.
“It’s not like your grandmother’s shadchan,” said Fischman, using the Hebrew word for matchmaker. She joined the congregation since it launched in October 2021. “At the Altneu, this is something that’s very organic. We have so many young professionals that are as committed to a community and their religion as they are to their careers here.”
After Oct. 7, “people have a little bit different take and feel about hopefully being with another Jewish person,” she added. “The Jewish community is clutching to our identity. We realize what’s at stake here now, so I think we’re in the right place at the right time.”
Piroozian said that actively looking for a partner has become a much bigger priority for him since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7. “Specifically during this time, I feel the need to strengthen our community. The best way to strengthen our community and to fight antisemitism is by building strong families with religious and moral values,” he said.
“There’s been a mass awakening with Jews around the world on consciously and unconsciously that their identity matters,” Sokol said. “Having places where your Jewish growth is considered and encouraged — including marriage — helps people who are on the fence push themselves to the next step.”
The first round of forms will close in a few weeks, Chizhik-Goldschmidt said.
“We have limited energy, we have limited time, we have limited resources,” she said. “If this whole initiative only results in just one pair finding one another, it’s worth it.”
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The post An Orthodox congregation in Manhattan launches a matchmaking initiative as a response to the Oct. 7 attack in Israel appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Self-Defense: A Pillar of Our New Jewish Life
Elion Even-Esh, who served in an elite unit in the Israeli Defense Forces where he learned Krav Maga (an IDF-developed style of self-defense) and later served as a captain in the US Marine Corps, has made it his mission to “instill strength and confidence” in the Torah-observant communities of the United States. Photo: Courtesy.
The fact that the Jewish people are a minority brings with it unique and inherent risks. That minority status exposes us to dangers that others can afford to overlook.
The question is not whether Jewish communities need to protect themselves — the question is how.
October 8, 2023 — and every day since — has reminded many Jewish people around the world that these threats are very much a part of our modern reality. It’s not to say that violence against Jewish people is ubiquitous, but rather, it is a serious and ongoing threat that must be considered and dealt with.
Solutions applied to the 1990s do not necessarily apply today. Leaders of communities have a responsibility to prepare their constituencies for all eventualities. This includes the need to defend themselves collectively — but also individually — from physical harm. This is a very hard realization to internalize, but nonetheless, people who ignore this do so at their own peril.
A confident and healthy Jewish community — one that knows how to defend itself — is a community far less likely to be bullied.
Jewish institutions must integrate this mindset into daily life. Schools, synagogues, camps, and community centers should treat self-defense as part of Jewish education, no less important than Hebrew, history, or math.
Training in self-defense should be as normalized as attending a Shabbat service. It should be woven into the fabric of our institutions so that young Jews grow up with both a strong Jewish identity and the confidence to defend it. School principals, religious leaders, and youth group leaders are the ones with the responsibility to lead this charge.
There are four pillars of protection that every Jewish community should embrace.
First is advocacy — engaging elected officials, decision-makers, and civic leaders to ensure Jewish concerns are heard and addressed.
Second is influence — which comes through culture, media, and interpersonal relationships that shape public opinion.
Third is security — which is provided by law enforcement, private protection, and community-based security networks.
But there is a fourth pillar that is too often neglected: personal self-defense.
If and when the first three pillars fail, the fourth pillar — the pillar of self-reliance — should be strong.
Jewish people are not necessarily known for being “tough guys,” but maybe it’s time for that stereotype to change. The best way to deal with a bully is to confront them and let them know that there’s a consequence to their action.
Realism demands we confront the fact that not all threats can be reasoned with. Individuals and groups who harbor open hostility toward Jewish people will act on it when they believe they can do so with impunity. The only effective deterrent is strength — physical, communal, and psychological.
Options include firearm ownership where permitted by law, but it must also include physical preparedness — training in Krav Maga, boxing, judo, karate, or other disciplines that instill both skill and confidence.
Videos surface almost daily of Jews being harassed, attacked, or intimidated on the streets of major cities. This is not a call for radicalism or violence — but a call for level-headed realism.
New realities call for a new game plan. People learn self-defense so that they never have to use it. Moving forward, young people should walk with confidence through their lives. The great Hasidic Rabbi Nachman of Breslov once said, “The whole world is a narrow bridge and the most important thing is to not be afraid, it’s to not be afraid at all.”
Through defense education, this teaching will move from being just an inspirational saying to becoming a lived reality.
Daniel Rosen is the Co-founder of a Non-profit Technology company called Emissary4all which is an app to organize people on social media by ideology not geography. He is the Co-host of the podcast “Recalibration.” You can reach him at drosen@emissary4all.org
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The Anti-Israel Contradiction Machine: Where Every Lie Cancels the Last
Palestinian Hamas terrorists stand guard on the day of the handover of hostages held in Gaza since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack, as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Feb. 22, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
It’s remarkable. The same activists who shout themselves hoarse at Western protests, who flood social media with memes and reels, somehow manage to hold two (or three, or ten) contradictory claims in their heads at once without blinking.
Like Soviet propagandists or Goebbels’ Ministry of Public Enlightenment, they rely on volume, not consistency. Because in propaganda, coherence is optional — but outrage is mandatory.
As Joseph Goebbels infamously put it: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” That is the strategy: not persuasion through reasoning, but relentless repetition.
Here’s a sampling from the Hamas-friendly, Israel-hating narrative machine:
Before October 2023, Gaza was an “open-air prison” or even a “concentration camp.” But also, before October 7, it had many wonderful features — including being a “beautiful Mediterranean beachside paradise” — that Israel supposedly destroyed. Which is it? Concentration camp or paradise? Apparently both, depending on which slur works best.
Contradiction #2: Statehood or Extermination?
“Israel is a racist ethno-state.” But the same activists chant: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” — and in Arabic, “Palestine will be Arab.” Destroying Israel and denying Jews the right to live on the land, in order to establish a 23rd Arab ethno-state is fine; but Jewish sovereignty in any form is racism.
Contradiction #3: Hostages? What Hostages?
“There were no hostages taken on Oct. 7.” Yet also: “Look how well Hamas treats the hostages!” So which is it — none taken, or proof of Hamas’ supposed hospitality?
Contradiction #4: Peace or Perpetual War?
“Ceasefire now!” they scream. But even in the same demonstrations: “Long live the Intifada!” and “Israel will soon be destroyed.” So, do they want peace — or endless war until Israel no longer exists?
Contradiction #5: Starvation Theater
“Israel is starving Palestinians.” Yet also: “Look how humiliating it is to make Palestinians line up for food.” And all the while, Gazan TikToks in the past few months have shown crowded restaurants, buzzing bakeries, and delicious dessert spreads.
Contradiction #6: The Civilian Shield Shuffle
“Hamas doesn’t target civilians.” Yet also: “There are no Israeli civilians — every Israeli is a settler and fair game.” Translation: all Jews, from babies to Holocaust survivors, are targets — but don’t you dare notice.
Contradiction #7: Holocaust Gaslighting
“Your Holocaust victim card expired long ago.” Then: “The Holocaust never happened.” Then: “Hitler was right.” And somehow also: “What’s happening in Gaza is worse than the Holocaust (that didn’t happen).”
Contradiction #8: October 7 — Didn’t Happen, But Totally Justified
“The October 7 massacres didn’t happen.” Or: “Israel killed its own citizens.” Yet Hamas literally filmed its murders. And when confronted: “All resistance is justified by any means.” Some even add: “Yes, but those women deserved it — they were dancing near Gaza.” Denial and justification in one grotesque package.
Contradiction #9: Weak, Strong, or Both?
“Hamas are just freedom fighters with rifles.” Yet also: “Hamas is winning the war and will wipe Israel off the map.” Powerless victims and unstoppable conquerors — simultaneously.
Contradiction #10: Hospitals or Tunnels?
“Hamas builds schools and hospitals.” Yet also: “Hamas dug 700 km of tunnels” defended as vital for defeating Israel. If they can dig almost twice the New York City subway underground, why not more trauma wards? Because tunnels are for terrorists, rockets, and hostages; hospitals are militarized props for propaganda — not places to make sure civilians get help above all else.
Contradiction #11: Genocide Math
For over 15 years, activists claimed Israel was committing genocide. Yet Gaza’s population nearly doubled during that time, and since 1967 has grown six-fold — from 400,000 to over 2.2 million. Now, post-October 7, they cry “genocide” again. Civilian deaths are tragic, but they stem from a war Hamas started, while hiding under and next to ordinary Gazans.
Yesterday’s lie ignored population growth; today’s ignores Hamas’ responsibility and the relatively low civilians to combatant casualty ratio in this war. Both are hollow slogans, not facts. There is also data strongly suggesting that the Gazan population has not decreased overall during the war. That doesn’t happen in actual genocides.
Contradiction #12: Ancient or Modern?
“Palestinians are Canaanite.” Or: “Palestinians are an ancient people.” Yet no Arab person self-identified as Palestinian before the 19th century. Palestinian culture, language, and religion are Arab, not Canaanite. Jews, by contrast, have 3,000 years of ancient coins, inscriptions, and prayers tying them to the land. And Jews have never left the land for thousands of years. Even Hamas admits this fight isn’t about Arabs being Canaanites — it says openly its goal is a global Islamic caliphate.
What These Contradictions Really Show
This dizzying list isn’t a bug — it’s the strategy. Like every totalitarian movement, Hamas and its defenders know the trick: don’t persuade, overwhelm. Flood the zone with lies faster than they can be debunked. As Goebbels taught, repeat them until they feel true.
And once you see it, the whole anti-Israel narrative collapses. It’s not a movement for peace or justice, but a noise machine of lies and contradictions. It’s not about protecting Palestinians, but about demonizing and erasing Jews — and not about truth, but about rage.
Micha Danzig is a current attorney, former IDF soldier & NYPD police officer. He currently writes for numerous publications on matters related to Israel, antisemitism & Jewish identity & is the immediate past President of StandWithUs in San Diego and a national board member of Herut.
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6 Israelis Murdered, 2 Weeks After Palestinian Authority Judge Calls to ‘Kill Them One by One’
People inspect a bus with bullet holes at the scene where a shooting terrorist attack took place at the outskirts of Jerusalem, Sept. 8, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Two weeks ago, a Palestinian Authority (PA) official called for the genocide of Jews for the seventh time in a year, as documented by Palestinian Media Watch.
On Monday morning, that call was acted upon, as two Palestinian terrorists opened fire at civilians in Jerusalem, killing six Israelis and wounding 12.
“Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality,” according to American author Earl Nightingale, who said this about keeping an optimistic outlook on life and practicing repetition of positive thinking.
The Palestinian Authority uses repetition to incite the murder of Jews.
When PA preachers in mosques repeat the call to “kill Jews one by one, and do not leave even one,” they play into the subconscious mind of their congregation and nurture a justification for murdering Jews and Israelis.
The sermons — all broadcast on official PA TV — create a dangerous reality in which Palestinians see religious value in killing Jews “one by one”:
PA Shari’ah judge Abdallah Harb: “O Allah, strengthen our stance and grant us victory over the infidels … and destroy our enemies. O Allah… strike your enemies, the enemies of the religion, and they cannot overcome You, O Allah. Allah, count them one by one, kill them one by one, and do not leave even one, O Master of the Universe.”
[Official PA TV, Aug. 22, 2025]
Official PA TV has broadcast this call for genocide of Jews by mosque preachers — who receive instructions from the PA Ministry of Religion on what to speak about in their sermons — at least seven times in the past year.
In June, two months prior to this last call, a PA Shariah judge prayed: “O Allah strike the thieving Jews, Allah count them one by one, kill them one by one, and do not leave even one.” [PA TV, June 13, 2025]
The “one-by-one” motif in these calls is particularly insidious, as it turns the murder of Jews into an easily achievable objective.
Rather than encouraging Palestinians to commit mass attacks that face logistical difficulties, killing Jews “one-by-one” presents a practical strategy for anyone and everyone.
And on Monday, Palestinian terrorists answered the PA’s call.
The author is a contributor to Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this story first appeared.