With momentum building and wind in their sails, the team behind the wildly popular new Met @Chabad program is rolling out the next phase. With proven virtual events that have brought thousands of members into the system, a robust and unique algorithm that has met with a high rate of successful matches, and a team of real-life shadchanim and dating coaches, what is there left to do?
There’s always more, of course. To that end, Met @Chabad recently announced their new “premium membership” option.
“One of our core beliefs is the value of a personal shadchan who actually knows who you are,” said Rabbi Beryl Frankel, director of Chabad Young Professionals International, the creator of Met @Chabad. “Our algorithm is highly sophisticated and will do a great job suggesting a match with similar values, but for many of our members, they need help getting past the first step; for many, it can be difficult to identify their own values. With a personal coach and private sessions, we believe that members will gain tremendously in this area.”
Today’s hyper-virtual world of Zoom culture, remote everything, and app-based dating has created a culture where people’s expectations—even in their romantic life—are for the magic to happen “online.” But a reawakening for analog relationships has begun. In a way, it can be said that “analog is the future.”
In sync with that reality, Met @Chabad has invested many resources into training professional dating coaches who can meet the needs of young Jewish adults, helping and guiding them to ask themselves the right questions. Questions like, “What are my core values? What do I consider a deal breaker?” are what these professionals have been trained to hammer out with their clients. With a premium membership, any young adult can avail themselves of this vital service and be well on their way to success.
“In many letters and other correspondences, the Rebbe would stress that aligning values is the most important thing,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Executive Director of Merkos 302, “always blessing a new couple that their home be built, ‘On the foundations of Torah and Mitzvos,’ the Rebbe would teach that we must focus on a strong foundation—values of Torah and mitzvos. Everything else—personal preferences, hobbies, and where they will live, albeit important, are secondary.”
After signing up and answering a detailed questionnaire, the algorithm gets to work fitting the new member into the appropriate place within the database, alongside others with similar values and goals. A shadchan is then assigned to the new member for a personal, one-on-one hour-and-a-half session. The two work through critical questions together, identifying their values, what to look out for and what to avoid, and other such important matters. At the end of the session, the client is given a completed document stating the conclusions, which they can readily refer back to whenever needed.
But it doesn’t end there. After the initial session, the matchmaker rolls up his or her sleeves and really gets to work. It is here that the human brain and the wisdom of AI are paired, as the matchmaker uses their intimate knowledge of their client to scour the database and find the perfect match. With close to 10,000 verified entrees, each one vouched for by an individual shliach, “the database” is no small undertaking. What’s more, all matchmakers are in touch with each other, mixing in an additional layer of human-to-human interaction on top of all the techy sophistry.
“Our community members are at the prime of their lives, and at a beautiful stage to meet their soulmate and start a family,” says Mrs. Tzippy Friedman, Shluchah in San Francisco and a M@C Shadchan, “However, with so many random suggestions, and the intense work regimen, it can be extremely difficult to find someone. Met@Chabad focuses on the individual, helps them find someone compatible and most importantly looking to get married as well.”
For more information regarding Met@Chabad premium visit https://www.metatchabad.com/premium
If you are a Shliach looking to participate in Met@Chabad with your community, visit https://metatchabad.com/shluchimsignup
