How this Philadelphian became a world-renowned Jewish matchmaker
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Aleeza Ben Shalom can find you a match. Photo: Courtesy of Jamie Gordon
Love is her language, and Jewish matchmaker Aleeza Ben Shalom wants to help you become fluent.
Why it matters: The Philadelphia-born dating coach and host of Netflix's "Jewish Matchmaking" has helped hundreds of couples — ages 19 to 89 — find love throughout her career.
Driving the news: The world-renowned matchmaker recently released her latest book, "Matchmaker Matchmaker: Find Me a Love That Lasts" — just in time for Valentine's Day.
- You can check it out at Ben Shalom's matchmaking discussion and book-signing event Thursday at the Weitzman.
Flashback: Ben Shalom started out working for an online dating site, but her knack for matchmaking was revealed much earlier.
- She was a young girl when she helped set up her brother with a friend for a dance at overnight camp.
- She had little idea then that her ability to identify potential romantic sparks between people would blossom into a career.
What they're saying: "You don't go to university for it," Ben Shalom, who has a degree in interdisciplinary studies from University of Pittsburgh, tells Axios. "It's not like, 'What do you want to be when I grow up? I want to be a matchmaker.'"
Decades later, Ben Shalom has written three books and runs a matchmaking podcast.
Zoom in: "Matchmaker Matchmaker" is a "brain dump" of the most common struggles that couples face in creating long-lasting relationships, plus tips for navigating rough patches, Ben Shalom says.
- One of her cardinal dating rules: "You can only move as fast as the slowest person."
Her advice: The most successful long-term relationships share four things in common: listening, humor, commitment and conflict resolution.
- "Life is heavy, life is serious, life is intense," Ben Shalom says. "And having a partner that you can laugh with and enjoy and gracefully get through time periods with, that's really helpful."
If you go: 6:30-8:30pm. Tickets: $45 general admission, $26 members and young professionals