Exclusive interview: Hooking up with the matchmaker
Aleeza Ben Shalom is the star of Jewish Matchmaking, the hit Netflix show that everyone is talking about
Aleeza Ben Shalom has been matchmaking for over a decade and has been responsible for over 200 successful matches.
I had a chat with her on Zoom and I quickly understood why she’s so good at her job – in just 30 minutes I felt she understood me on a deep level, and the type of person I might need. I had to strongly discipline myself to not turn the interview into my own personal matchmaking session!
“One of the most challenging aspects of matchmaking is timing,” Aleeza tells me. “Many clients come to me with a specific idea of what they want, but I fine that they need to work on several other things before it’s time for matchmaking.”
What really excited me about the service she offers is the coaching aspect – both for singles and couples. She described having a dating coach to walk you through the dating process, which I’m sure many people would love. Friends and family can have an innate bias so to be able to have an expert hold your hand through dating sounds like a dream.
In the show, I related strongly to one woman’s struggle to find the ‘right’ guy but one that you’re also attracted to physically. So, I was curious to hear how she helps coach someone through that (fingers crossed). Her response was to be expected: “Looks fade with age so focus on personality. I know that’s much easier said than done and I also know that sometimes it just won’t work unless you give the person what they want.” Aleeza rarely gives up on people though, even 20 matches later. We had a good laugh about my own dating experiences, the advice I was given and how Aleeza’s system is a little more accommodating – allowing you 10 qualities you want but also five 5 you don’t want.
When asked about the couples on the show, Aleeza was tight-lipped about whether any of them are still together. We now just need to make sure the show does well enough for a season 2 so we can find out!
PS A word about ‘that’ necklace (so talked about it needs an Instagram account of its own!). It’s a combo of a piece from her mum and a piece from her grandma – you could call that the ultimate match.
Visit https://marriagemindedmentor.com/ where Aleeza offers coaching and online courses to help get you lucky in love.
Click here to read more exclusive content about Jewish matchmaking
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