Unique Evening Of New Connections

In Jewish tradition, family has never been a matter of chance. Not because everything must be predetermined, but because family has always been treated with seriousness and care. A family is not something you “pick up along the way” — it is something you build, step by step, and almost never alone.

Drawing on conversations with professionals and years of community experience, I have come to see that being part of a family — being needed and connected — is often deeper and more sustaining than remaining single and formally free.

Our community is full of intelligent, accomplished people — professionals in their fields, individuals with inner strength, thoughtful and interesting personalities. Yet more and more often we see that in the most personal and vulnerable area of life — the subject of family — people remain alone. Alone with their doubts, and with a hope that feels awkward to voice out loud.

We speak a great deal about values, continuity, and the future. But the future always begins with specific people and their personal stories. With whether two people meet. With whether they are able to truly hear one another. With whether they choose to continue their journey together.

We feel a responsibility to ensure that our community gives rise not only to projects and initiatives, but also to strong, stable families. That is why we — as community builders and advocates — do not feel we can remain mere observers.

Creating a family is not only a personal decision. It is a contribution to the future of the entire community — to children, to the continuation of tradition, to the sense of home that is passed forward. And if we can help support this process, we consider it our duty to do so.

Within our “Dating Club,” a team of five dedicated volunteers has been working tirelessly and wholeheartedly to help create new families — thoughtfully, sensitively, and, importantly, with real success.

Recently, a new idea emerged from the conversations and questions we hear again and again: the idea of “Evenings of Connection.” Not as another format or event for its own sake, but as a response to very real needs.

We repeatedly hear:

“Where can one truly meet someone today?”

“How can you meet a person intentionally, not by accident?”

“Where are depth and inner life valued over surface impressions?”

This led us to the decision to hold a gathering on the Jewish holiday of Tu BiShvat, on February 2 — a meeting where connection is alive and genuine, intellectual and warm. Where the focus is on conversation, shared interests, attentiveness to age and life experience, to a person’s inner world, and to the sense of closeness that comes from shared values and perspectives.

There is an Eastern saying: attraction of the mind gives rise to respect, attraction of the soul gives rise to friendship, and attraction of the body gives rise to desire. This wisdom beautifully captures the sequence that feels right to us. We believe that authentic relationships begin with respect and an inner response — with interest in the person themselves: in their words, thoughts, and worldview.

This is where we place our emphasis: on conversation, attentiveness, and that first subtle point of contact from which something truly meaningful can grow.

For us, this is neither an experiment nor a tribute to passing trends. It is a natural continuation of long-standing communal work — connecting people, offering support, and strengthening family bonds through real human interaction.

If what you seek is not simply to “try,” but to genuinely meet another person; if the idea of a thoughtful introduction, real conversation, and a calm, respectful atmosphere resonates with you — you are warmly invited.

February 2 | Millennium Hall (Rego Park)

Unique Evening of New Connections

A gathering without haste, with conversation and presence, among people who share the same values.

Perhaps, for someone, this evening will mark the beginning of an important story.