<rks & Rec,’ interesting accents, fine beer,” read one of the bachelors’ nametags, describing desired traits in a potential date at the Singles’ Shabbat last Friday night.
Every Friday, the Jewish Students of Carleton group holds an open Shabbat service for any and all students, normally led by Rabbi Shosh Dworsky or students and followed by dinner and fellowship.
This Friday however, included an amusing twist: speed dating.
After dinner, the attendees created nametags with descriptions of the type of person they were seeking. Emily Ban ‘12, the social chair of JSC, periodically yelled out “time!” at intervals of two minutes,t and also gave prompts or questions, which always had an element of quirkiness.
Some examples: “What is your favorite food that your grandma makes?” and “Where is your favorite place to make out on campus?” Participants then had two minutes to break the ice and start their own conversations.
Throughout the entire event, there was a laid-back mood among the participants. Most attendants were not taking the “dating” part very seriously; it was more of an opportunity to meet new people and make friends.
“I am mainly here to make more friends, but I wouldn’t mind meeting a nice Jewish boy,” said Zoe Levin ’15.
Benjamin Somogyi ’12, a participant, added, “You never find someone if you’re deliberately looking.”
Singles’ Shabbat was born last year when Ban noticed that a majority of the regular Shabbat participants were single.
“Matchmaking has a lot to do with Judaism,” she said. “Everyone was single. I thought we should have some fun with it.”
Although love might not have been in the air on Friday, the event did attract many people who do not normally attend Shabbat.
“It’s not that there are more people here, there are just different people here than usual,” Somogyi said.
In fact, a Northfield high school student who normally attends Shabbat service and dinner stuck around for the event.
“It was nice. It would be illegal if it was anything more,” he commented jokingly.
The mood was relaxed and silly, full of laughter and fun, making the event a definite success.
“It’d be great if something worked out, but it’s very casual,” Lily Gage ’15 said.