The first-ever Jewish dating website has been launched in the Gulf with the aim of pairing up local Jewish singles.
The platform JSG, which stands for “Jewish Singles in the Gulf,” debuted with a website where participants are encouraged to fill out a questionnaire and then a group of matchmakers recommend matches, the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC), told Al Arabiya English.
It comes a year after the US-brokered Abraham Accords.
“As our communities throughout the GCC experienced unprecedented growth over the past few years, we have seen more and more singles move here with an interest in establishing more permanent roots in the region,” said AGJC President Ebrahim Dawood Nonoo. “By helping these singles find their spouses in the GCC, they are more likely to get married here and establish their families here, which in turn grows Jewish communal life and the need for more Jewish institutions like schools, kosher food, etc.”
Bahrain and Gulf neighbor United Arab Emirates normalized relations with Israel last year in the Abraham Accords that built on shared business interests and worries about Iran. Sudan and Morocco followed suit.
AGJC Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie said many single Jewish people in the Gulf have already registered interest in the site.
“The buzz around JSG has reverberated around the world and in the weeks leading up to the launch of the platform, we received interest from dozens of singles in the region,” said he said.
“We are starting with a website and hope to grow this into singles events and programs very soon. It is so important for us to work with singles living in our region to help them find relationships with other Jews.”
The Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC) is the umbrella organization for the Jewish communities of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries that are building and enhancing Jewish life in the region.