Young people in costume stood out in the Tel Aviv landscape on Wednesday night two weeks ago – a day before Halloween.
It was a scene one could expect to see in any college town in the US – pre-Halloween party-goers lining up to enter a club throwing a Halloween party. And that’s exactly what some of the attendees were looking for.
“I want to feel America,” said Ori, one of the partyers. Dressed as The Joker, the LA native had come to the party from Ashdod, where he now lives.
“I like to celebrate [Halloween] in America, too,” he added.
Others came to the party looking to expand their social circles to include more Jews from the US and from around the world.
“The concept [of the event] is interesting,” said Katya, who was dressed as a deer. “It’s very connection-building between Diaspora Jewry [and Israeli Jewry],” she said, adding that maybe events like this are the answer to the question of how to build connections among Jews from younger generations.
Katya came to the party with Ruth, who was also dressed as a deer. They recently returned from the US, where they worked as Jewish Agency shlichim (emissaries).
Israelis and chulnikim (people from outside of Israel) can benefit from a relationship with one another, Ruth said, adding that the event was also just a new, fun, and refreshing way to connect.
“The whole thing is really [about] community building – bringing different kinds of Jews together,” Dani Bergman, the woman behind the party, explained.
Bergman was recently featured on the reality matchmaking show Jewish Matchmaking on Netflix – a platform she says has given her an opportunity to launch the social line, which included Wednesday night’s party.
Bringing Jews together
One of the most interesting aspects of this line, called Club MMingle, is that it aims to bring Jewish people together globally, building community across borders and around the world.
“After the show came out, it really gave me this opportunity to grow a platform of Jewish people who wanted to get together and were like-minded. So I started doing Jewish matchmaking events,” Bergman said.
“I always say that everything is matchmaking to an extent because if you’re connecting with someone, whether it be on a romantic level or on a friendship level or a business level, you’re still connecting. You’re still connecting people,” she explained.
“I like to create spaces to bring good people together in a low-pressure atmosphere,” she said, adding that social events are a “low–pressure environment for high-quality interactions.”
The line of events includes Stoplight parties, Shabbat dinners followed by after-parties, and smaller matchmaking events. Launched in Miami, the line now hosts events in Tel Aviv, and Bergman is looking to take it to other communities worldwide. There are also more exclusive Club MMingle events that include smaller groups of individuals invited because they may be compatible with one another, Bergman explained, adding that these are currently available in Miami.
The concept of the Stoplight parties is aimed at facilitating connection. Attendees select a colored wristband at the entrance that indicates to others why they have come to the party. Green wristbands are for singles; yellow is for those whose relationship status is complicated; red is for those who are taken; and blue is for those attending “for friends.”
Wearing the band, regardless of the color, is like wearing a sign that says you came to the party to meet others and are willing to be approached, Bergman explained.
The parties can also be a great place for olim (new immigrants), said Shanna, one of the Halloween party organizers. The event is “one of the few places where olim and Israelis are organically and effortlessly meeting each other,” she said.
“Olim are sometimes siloed in their own communities, and they want to meet Israelis but are not confident about Hebrew or aren’t in places where they are meeting them outside of the workplace. So I think that meeting at a party where the intention is already set that people are supposed to meet opens the door for people to organically mingle,” she explained.
One of Bergman’s goals is to bridge the gap between Israelis and internationals, and the parties have been a fun way to do this.
While “there are not a lot of events and parties where there is a mix [of Israelis and internationals],” Bergman’s events in Israel have managed to bring hundreds of young people out – and with a mix of around 50% Israelis, 50% foreigners, she said.
“Especially after Oct. 7, the Jewish community has come together stronger than I have ever seen it before,” she said.
“A really beautiful thing about Jewish culture is that when people land in a different country or [wherever], Jewish people look for other Jewish people to be with.”