‘Jewish Matchmaking’ comes to Netflix

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a… Netflix show.

Jewish Matchmaking, from the creators of Indian Matchmaking, is now streaming on Netflix. Launched last month, the program features Aleeza Ben Shalom, a professional matchmaker and dating coach who connects singles from all over the world.

During the show, Ben Shalom sets up and counsels nine people from across the U.S. and Israel, including Stuart Chaseman, 52, of Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood.

The Buffalo Grove native auditioned for the show after years of dating. “I’ve done online dating. I’ve hit up my friends to set me up with people. I have done speed dating. I’ve tried everything else to meet somebody, and this seemed right up my alley,” said the singer-songwriter, adding. “I’m an entertainer. I’m totally good with being filmed.”

While the eight-episode series is meant to entertain, it’s also a tutorial on dating. Ben Shalom treats the singles to the service and wisdom she’s provided to her clients for more than 15 years, resulting in 200 marriages.

She’s not just fixing up two Jewish singles that she happens to know. “People think that the introduction of putting two people together, that’s matchmaking. That’s one of three parts of a process,” she said.

“We do it in a more calculated way, more like a headhunter would search for somebody for a job,” she explained, outlining the first step in the process. “We look at a person’s personality. We look at their values and what they’re looking for. We take into consideration any of their relationship fears.”

Then, the search begins. “We connect and collaborate with matchmakers across the globe. We use our network. We use their networks. We basically scour the entire world to find a great match for somebody,” she said. Chaseman’s dates flew into Chicago from Atlanta and New York.

Once the date is set, Ben Shalom moves on to step two, mentoring and coaching to help people navigate the challenges of dating. For Chaseman, that included a session with a stylist and some practice before a ping pong date. “I don’t think I made a complete fool of myself,” he said.

Ben Shalom encourages her clients to avoid quick decisions. “When in doubt, go out. The main goal is: don’t break up too soon. Don’t ruin something before you even have a chance to get it going,” she advises. That can lead to what she calls a mystery in your history , someone you’ve cast off too soon and may be worth another look.

She also has some witty and memorable words for those who tend to evaluate their dates extensively and rush to answer the question: Is this person the one?

” Analysis paralysis usually happens when people try to make a decision before it’s time to make a decision,” she said. “I usually tell those people to pause the thinking and the feelings and just go out and gather more data.”

Ben Shalom calls the last part of the process the closer, when someone decides either they’ve met their soulmate or they’re going back into the dating pool.

You’ll have to watch the show to see how it all turned out for Chaseman. (No spoilers here!) Regardless of the outcome, he received some helpful advice.

“Don’t try to impress anybody. I think maybe that was a fault of mine at one point in my dating career,” he said.

Julie Mangurten Weinberg is a Northbrook-based freelance journalist with more than 20 years of experience in broadcast, print, and digital media.