Invei Hagefen is happy to announce a new project of Invei Hagefen that will offer trained mentors to help you with all dating related issues.
The telephone number of the Shidduch Helpline is (718) 854-0681.
The hours are Mondays and Wednesday from 8pm to 10pm.
This new service began on Monday, November 13th, 2006.
Invei HagefenOlder singles are among the most misunderstood members of the Orthodox community, says Mr. Yati Weinreb, chairman of Invei Hagefen, the highly effective shidduch agency co-sponsored by Agudath Israel of America and Agudah Women.
"The man who davens two rows over in shul, the woman who never misses the local weekly Parsha shiur - how many among us are moved to reach out to them, to engage them in conversation, to invite them to our Shabbos meal?" Ours is a community immersed in chesed, Mr. Weinreb observes; yet because the plight of older singles is often perceived as something "they brought on themselves" by being "too picky" or "unable to commit,'" they are somehow deemed undeserving of our help.
"That's a perception we have to change," he declares, noting that the "shidduch crisis" forum at Agudath Israel's recent national convention represents an important move in that direction. "People came away from the sessions with increased awareness and sensitivity regarding some of the issues that older singles face." More importantly, he points out, they came away wanting to be part of the process that will hopefully help alleviate the shidduch crisis for older and younger singles alike.
"Four new programs are up and running, three under the auspices of Invei Hagefen: "HOST" (Honor Our Shabbos Table), which matches singles with families who wish to invite them for a Shabbos meal; a mentoring program, headed by Dr. Shaya Ostrov, designed to help older singles through the shidduch process; and a comprehensive worldwide shadchanim registry, which will greatly facilitate the "redding" of shidduchim and the information gathering process." The fourth program, "Raninu" - a method of redding shidduchim that was created by three concerned women seeking a more effective and respectful way to arrange introductions - has actually been in operation in the New York area for a while, Mr. Weinreb explained. At the convention, it was decided to officially integrate Raninu into Agudah Women's wide range of programs and activities, a move designed to help spread the innovative system to Jewish communities across the country.
At a typical Raninu meeting, a small group of women present profiles of eligible boys. Each presenter provides her name and phone number, the initials of a young man and a short description. Anyone with a potential match for the young man passes her name and number to the presenter. No matches are discussed at the meeting; the shidduch is made during a private, follow-up phone call.
For information regarding the new Invei Hagefen shidduch programs, call 718-256-7525; For Raninu, call Agudah Women 212-363-8940.
Locally, Kol Simcha was formed in January 2005 to serve Baltimore. A most significant effort is the development of a comprehensive database of local singles, compiled with the help of local shuls. People active in shidduchim in various locations will be working on behalf of Kol Simcha to advocate for these singles. In addition, Kol Simcha has developed information, support, and educational resources which aid singles in finding their zivug. For further information, call 410-499-6006.