JMeetups is a nonprofit organization that builds up the Jewish community, city by city. We run the local groups, the events calendar and the hospitality network that give people somewhere to belong in the city they actually live in - a place to find friends, a table to sit at on Friday night, people to celebrate yom tov with, and, for many of our members, the person they go on to marry.
Singles are at the heart of that work. They are a major part of every Jewish community, and too often they are left on its edges: no family table on Shabbos, nobody to call on yom tov, a new city full of strangers. We help bring them in and keep them in, because a community is only as strong as its place for them.
A thriving community is singles finding their footing, marriages beginning, married couples building homes, and families growing with children - and it all starts with young adults finding their place. That is the whole cycle we exist to support.
Anyone 18 or older can join, single or married. Get invited to Shabbos dinners and events, find friends, meet the person you will marry, or open your own home and host. Married members join as community hosts, event organizers and matchmakers, helping the next generation find their place.
How this started
In 2014 we were throwing parties and hosting local events for Jewish singles on Shabbos and Jewish holidays. What kept coming up was the same thing: the event would end, people had met each other, and there was nowhere for them to stay connected. Someone new in town had no way to find the next one.
So we built places for them online, and eventually a web app and a network of moderated WhatsApp groups, city by city. That is what JMeetups grew out of. In 2022 we incorporated it as a nonprofit.
It is now more than 90 city groups across 19 countries - through the Americas, Europe, Israel, South Africa and Australia - with thousands of members across our apps and groups. A person reviews and approves every single request to join one, by hand. That is slow, and it is the reason members trust who is in the room.
What we actually do
- City groups. Moderated WhatsApp groups for 90 cities in 19 countries, with a real approval process, so members know who is in the room. They run around the clock: local events, Shabbos and yom tov invitations, and welcoming people who have just moved to town.
- Community events. A calendar of Shabbatons, yom tov programs, shiurim, meals and meetups, posted by members and Jewish organizations and reviewed before it goes live. Save the ones you are going to and put them straight in your own calendar.
- Somewhere to be for Shabbos. Members host each other for Shabbos and yom tov meals. When someone is hosting a Friday night dinner, they post it to their city group, and that is how the invitation goes out. If you have just moved, you can find a table before you know a soul; if you have a home, you can open it. Local rabbanim use the same groups to find newcomers and help them settle in.
- People who help run it. Community hosts, event organizers and shadchanim are members too, and they get our tools for free. Hundreds of matchmakers use our CRM to organize their contacts, notes and suggestions.
- A member directory. Search the community by city, background and observance, and message people directly - for friendship, for a Shabbos guest, for someone to show you around a new city, or for marriage.
Our mission
To build real Jewish community wherever in the world our members live - starting with singles and young adults, and growing with them into marriage and family - through a platform that honors Jewish values, respects tradition, and embraces the diversity of the Jewish community. Whether you are Modern Orthodox, Yeshivish, Chassidish, Sefardi, Conservative, Reform or culturally Jewish, JMeetups is your home.
Marriage matters to us, and we are open about that - a shidduch is one of the best things that can come out of a community, and every new family makes the community stronger. But it is not the price of entry. Plenty of our members come for the Shabbos table, the chag, the friendships and the city they were new to, and that is the whole point.
Free, and staying that way
We are a nonprofit, and our focus is on people rather than profits. Every feature is free - every message, every search, every group. There are no paywalls, no premium tiers, no subscriptions and no advertising, and we have no plans for any. We do not sell your data.
Join your city
Thousands of members are already part of JMeetups, across our apps and our WhatsApp groups. Whether you are single and looking for your life partner, new in town and looking for friends, married and ready to host, or simply looking for a way to be part of Jewish life where you live, there is a place for you here.
