When Women Don't Marry: Single Blessedness and the Shidduch Crisis (Religion in American History blo
- leibman
- Oct 15, 2014
- 1 min read
"Save our desperate daughters," proclaims the cover article in issue 521 of Mishpacha [family] magazine, an English-language, ultra-orthodox journal. For the non-orthodox this may seem mystifying. What is a shidduch anyway, and why is it suddenly causing a crisis for young Jewish American women? Moreover, the historian in me wants to know, is the shidduch crisis actually new? If not, can the past offer any guidance to current situation? Check out my article on the Religion in American History blog to read more.
Fascinating topic, it’s always striking how debates about marriage and “crisis” echo across generations. Your piece sounds like a sharp historical lens on a conversation that’s still alive today. For anyone who wants to dig deeper, the doc Women of the Wall (free on YouTube) or the series Unorthodox on Netflix explore similar questions about gender, faith, and choice in modern Jewish life. Great context for your post.