Photo by Stacy Miller
Tu B’Av, the Jewish Valentine’s Day, might have passed, but love was still in the air at Café Asia in Arlington as nearly 100 members of the tribe joined Northern Virginia young Jewish professionals group NOVA Tribe Series for a night of speed dating and matchmaking.
Lox Meets Bagel is the “signature dating event” of NOVA Tribe Series, according to the organization’s founder, Stacy Miller. The mixer takes place twice a year – in the winter close to Valentine’s Day and in the summer near Tu B’Av. This event, held Aug. 5, was the fourth Lox Meets Bagel.
“We’re trying to help singles meet each other,” said Miller. “We have a speed dating portion of the event, and we also have a little profile hunt so people can answer some questions and then they have to find who matches with their answers, so it is just a fun event to mingle and get to know others.”
And yes, there is an app for that.
Sam Getz-Sheftel, 27, a Chicago native and Dupont Circle resident, created an app in February for the event, in which participants can upload their profiles, answer questions, like other people and see their matches.
He said there were 96 matches at the last Lox Meets Bagel when his app debuted.
“We had a lot of pairings, and I think a lot of people got dates out of it. It’s great,” said Getz-Sheftel.
Steven Rudden, 31, of Rockville, crossed the Potomac River looking for a match.
“Let’s just say I’ve been on a lot of dates,” said Rudden. “I actually probably could have written a book by now, but I didn’t write down notes for every date. I should have, though. My parents keep saying I could have written a book.”
NOVA Tribe board member Phoenix Walter, 25, of Arlington, helped plan the event. She said that while of course every Jewish girl is looking to meet a Jewish guy and find “true love,” she just wanted to enjoy the evening no matter how it unfolded.
“I really like meeting new people, so I figure at the very least I’ll meet some cool new people,” said Walter.
After mingling at the bar, the participants took their seats at the neatly lined-up tables. Then the clock started ticking. After five minutes, the table shuffle took place. On to the next potential match. That’s what speed dating is all about. After 12 sessions, the hour was over and it was time to update the app: yes, no, maybe.
Would Walter find her b’shert? Would Rudden?
Said Rudden: “I’m hoping to meet somebody great. That’s the bottom line. I want to meet somebody great and hopefully I’ll marry them.”
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