For most people on JDate, meeting someone Jewish is a top priority. Maybe it’s because you felt inspired by your 5th grade Hebrew school teacher. Maybe it’s because you love any excuse to get your hands on some homemade kreplach. Or maybe it’s because you have a strong spiritual side and really value your relationship with G-d. Whatever the reason, it led you to JDate.
Now, let’s say you’re still that same spiritual, kreplach-loving person, but you meet someone in (gasp!) the real world – a happy hour, the bowling alley, outside while walking your dog, etc. You want to find out if your prospective new belle or beau is Jewish, but you don’t know how. There are so many options. Some are funny, some are clever, and some are utterly ridiculous. (Keep in mind that much of this is tongue-in-cheek.)
1. Find Out the Last Name
This was the strategy my mom took when she met my dad. My mom and dad used to live next door to each other, and my mom actually met my dad’s brother, my uncle, first. (My dad was just the guy always sitting in the window studying.) To my mom, it was important to marry someone Jewish, even though she didn’t grow up in a particularly Jewish area of North Jersey, so she asked my uncle his last name. He told her that his last name was Ettin. What he said and what she heard were two different things when she asked, “What kind of name is that?” She thought she heard “Sicilian,” but what he really said was, “It’s silly!” That got them to talking, then she met my dad, and the rest is history. (As a side note, I sent my mom this article, and she said, “I went to great lengths to find someone Jewish, and I found a ‘silly/Sicilian’ guy right next door!”
Another way to find out someone’s name is to ask for a business card. I once briefly dated someone I met at jury duty (I was on the jury of a six-week murder trial!), and I was curious to know if he was Jewish, so I asked for his card. The last name ended with “man.” I was happy as a clam… ahem… happy as a kosher meatball.
2. Make Sly Jewish References
Maybe you’re walking down the street with your date, and you casually say, “I sometimes make my grandma’s kugel recipe” to see if there’s any recognition. Or throw in some Yiddish for good measure. “I can’t believe my ferkakte car broke down again. It’s such a schlep to get all the way out to the Mini dealership in Virginia.” Your date will either look at you like you’re a little mashugana (and maybe you are!) or with a sense of appreciation and knowledge.
3. Ask About His or Her Family Background
Maybe you ask where his or her ancestry is from. Or perhaps you ask if the family came over on the Mayflower or through Ellis Island. You could also try asking where his or her grandparents lived. These are all indirect ways to get to someone’s religion.
But, of course, none of these is a surefire way to find out if someone is Jewish. And some ways could be fairly ignorant and obnoxious. His or her last name may be Davis, for example, which could have any background. Plenty of Jewish people have blond hair and blue eyes. And with so many people of mixed heritage, it’s such a melting pot that nothing is certain until you ask. Now, am I saying to ask someone outright on a date whether he or she is a MOT? Not in so many words. But, like any other potential deal-breaker – education or age, for example – you are allowed to ask before you become too invested. Make sure you’re asking in a nice, open way, though. Rather than blurting out, “Are you Jewish? If not, I can’t date you,” instead ask something like, “What’s your background, out of curiosity? I’m Jewish, but I have a hard time telling what other people are these days, and I don’t like to assume anything!” Or just go out, enjoy the date, and focus on whether you actually like the person before you decide if you’ll be having Jewish babies together.