From Philadelphia to Netflix Fame: Aleeza Ben Shalom Puts Jewish Matchmaking on the World Stage
Aleeza Ben Shalom turned Jewish matchmaking into a global phenomenon through her company Marriage Minded Mentor and the Netflix show "Jewish Matchmaking".
Since launching her career in 2007, Aleeza Ben Shalom has transformed Jewish matchmaking from a niche tradition into a global phenomenon, guiding singles toward the chuppah with warmth and wisdom. As a speaker, lecturer, dating coach, and author of Get Real, Get Married and Virtual Dating, she’s built a reputation as a trailblazer. Through her company, Marriage Minded Mentor, Ben Shalom has helped countless Jewish singles worldwide navigate the path to love, blending ancient shidduch practices with modern sensibilities.
Her breakout moment came in 2023 with Netflix’s Jewish Matchmaking, a one-season reality series that pulled back the curtain on the shidduch process, shattering stereotypes rooted in the shtetl imagery of Fiddler on the Roof (1971).
The film’s iconic “Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match” lyric painted shidduchim as a relic of ultra-Orthodox life, but Ben Shalom’s vibrant approach showed it as a dynamic, inclusive tradition relevant to Jews of all backgrounds. The show’s global reach introduced audiences to her empathetic, practical style, dispelling outdated notions and sparking renewed interest in Jewish matchmaking.
Post-Netflix, Ben Shalom’s influence skyrocketed. She’s become a social media sensation, with 63,700 Instagram followers, 39,000 TikTok likes, and 13,000 Facebook followers as of July 2025. Her daily dose of bite-sized, energetic videos, offering tips like how to spot a soulmate or navigate first dates, has made her a staple on the “For You” pages of religious and secular Jews alike.
From lectures and live shows to podcast interviews, her mission to connect singles has resonated widely, earning her a devoted following. By modernizing the shadchanit role, she’s not just matchmaking; she’s redefining how Jews find their bashert.