Connecting Jewish singles a 'mitzvah' for Palm Beach Synagogue's new matchmaker

A 21st-century counterpart to Yente, the matchmaker from the acclaimed 1960s musical "Fiddler on the Roof," Clara Rice works to connect local Jewish singles.

The new "matchmaker-in-residence" at Palm Beach Synagogue, Rice provides services to synagogue members of all ages. Her duties include networking with other communities and matchmakers to introduce singles from Palm Beach Synagogue to other Jewish singles in the area. The program is open to congregants only.

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"Our plan is to do our part to help people find other singles," she told the Daily News. "It's going to be a wonderful thing."

The matchmaking initiative was formally launched last month by Palm Beach Synagogue Rabbi Moshe Scheiner and his wife, Dinie, in an effort to help Jewish singles find their "soulmates," they said.

They enlisted Rice, whose husband, Yosef, is a rabbi at the synagogue, to oversee it.

"There's a mitzvah, a good deed that's considered a very virtuous act, to help people in their search for a soulmate," Scheiner said. "This is something that I've always been passionate about, because I think if you could give someone the gift of introducing them to their soulmate, it's the gift that keeps on giving. It's a lifetime gift. And so much good, love, family and blessings come from it."

The initiative, which grew out of informal efforts to match Jewish singles at the synagogue, has drawn a "tremendous" response, Rice said.

She has started meeting personally with some of the congregants who submitted their dating profiles, and she plans to reach out to others as she works to network with matchmakers throughout the state. Rice also works with a matchmaker based in New York's Manhattan borough.

"We're hoping that we can find singles in South Florida so that they can meet face-to-face," Rice said. "We do have quite a few community members who live in the North and in Florida part-time, and so that's also an avenue where we can find them a match, where they can connect up North. But we definitely want, in any way that we can, to help two people find companionship and find love. We'll do our best."

There is no charge to participate in the program, and congregants of all ages have expressed interest in it.

"We actually have two 80-year-olds who have signed up for the program," Rice said. "Those are our oldest singles interested. We have many people in their 70s and 60s, a few in their 50s, and of course many, many people in their 20s."

"My husband, Rabbi Yosef and I, we've been involved actually with young singles for over six years now, hosting monthly Shabbat Friday night dinners and events to help young people meet each other," she continued. "They've shared with us the challenges of the dating apps, which are very popular now, and we try to create an environment of young people to meet and connect. I'm looking forward to not only continuing with the young people, but really try to help people of all ages."

So far, two couples have been connected through the matchmaking program, and Scheiner said he looks forward to uniting many more.

"We have a tradition in Judaism that God doesn't demand results," he said. "He demands action and effort. Whether two people are going to choose to get married, whether their souls are spiritually meant for one another, only God knows."

Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Synagogue's 'matchmaker' hopes to connect Jewish singles