Tradition! Jewish Matchmaking, Past & Present

Think you know everything about Jewish matchmaking from Fiddler on the Roof? Think again! While the beloved musical frames arranged marriage as "tradition" and romantic love as its modern antidote, scholars argue the reality was far more nuanced — and in some ways, exactly the reverse of what the show depicts.

In this episode, guest scholars Naomi Seidman, Elisheva Carlebach, Shulamit Magnus, and Ayala Fader, along with host Jeremy Shere, discuss the history of Jewish matchmaking and matrimony from the early modern period to the present day. Together, they explore how marriage functioned as an economic institution in Ashkenazi Jewish communities, who the matchmakers really were, and the role love played in the process, along with a look at matchmaking in contemporary Hasidic communities, where many of the old traditions live on.