JMeetups is a nonprofit organization that builds Jewish community around single people. We run the local groups, the events calendar and the hospitality network that give a Jewish single 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.
Being single is who our members are. Community is what we build for them.
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 around single people, wherever in the world they live, 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. 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 looking for your life partner, for new friends, or simply for a way to be part of Jewish life where you live, we are here for you.
