Colors: Blue Color

This month will mark my eighth year of marriage, and as most of my friends are married with families of their own, it is easy to forget about the difficulties, frustrations, and questions relating to dating. I was curious to hear if things have changed in frum dating and matchmaking since I’ve left that chapter of my life. This past Monday, the Young Israel of West Hempstead and YU Connects hosted three panelists who spoke about dating and matchmaking, with questions submitted by parents, singles, and individuals seeking to help, but not knowing how to do it.

With the growth of frum families in West Hempstead, the evening kollel has been picking up in attendance. It is the venue where working men can hear a speaker discuss a halachic matter before a chaburah, and then the participants break up into pairs to tackle the topic at hand, the Daf Yomi, or other subjects on their minds.

Warm weather brought back the crowds at the Celebrate Israel Parade on Sunday, which was interrupted in the past two years by the pandemic. Having marched for many years as a participant and a reporter, this year I was quarantined at home as a result of a positive COVID test. No symptoms, and nearly everyone in my social circle is vaccinated, but such are the rules. So, my family went without me, and I relied on the words of my daughter’s classmates, friends, and elected officials on this year’s parade experience.