Matzo Ball: Difference between revisions
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::''For the traditional Jewish food, see [[Matzah ball]].'' |
::''For the traditional Jewish food, see [[Matzah ball]].'' |
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The '''Matzo Ball''' is an annual [[Christmas Eve]] nightlife event and party held in a number of major cities in the United States and Canada targeted primarily at young [[Jewish]] [[singles]].<ref name="AP2006">[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16339451/ ''Christmas Eve parties now a Jewish tradition'', Associated Press (MSNBC), December 23, 2006]</ref><ref name="Canada">Mike Cohen, ''Famous Matzo Ball parties to land here'', Jewish Tribune (Canada), November 10, 2009 |
The '''Matzo Ball''' is an annual [[Christmas Eve]] nightlife event and party held in a number of major cities in the United States and Canada targeted primarily at young [[Jewish]] [[single person|singles]].<ref name="AP2006">[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16339451/ ''Christmas Eve parties now a Jewish tradition'', Associated Press (MSNBC), December 23, 2006]</ref><ref name="Canada">[http://www.jewishtribune.ca/TribuneV2/index.php/200911102313/Famous-Matzo-Ball-parties-to-land-here.html Mike Cohen, ''Famous Matzo Ball parties to land here'', Jewish Tribune (Canada), November 10, 2009]</ref> |
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==Background== |
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Christmas and Christmas Eve typically serve as times of family gathering and prayer for Christians and many others in the United States.<ref name="TimesSeason">[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE1DA143DF937A15751C1A96E9C8B63 Jennifer 8. Lee, ''A Season of More'', New York Times, December 24, 2008]</ref> However, many [[American Jews]] do not treat the Christmas holiday in the same way.<ref name="TimesDeciding">[http://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/16/garden/deciding-to-celebrate-christmas-or-not.html?pagewanted=all Brenda Lane Richardson, ''Deciding to Celebrate Christmas, or Not'', New York Times, December 16, 1987]</ref><ref name="TimesOff">[http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/22/nyregion/off-on-yom-kippur-it-s-probably-time-to-work-a-holiday.html?pagewanted=all Daniel J. Wakin, ''Off on Yom Kippur? It's Probably Time To Work a Holiday'', New York Times, December 22, 2003]</ref> This makes the night of December 24 an opportunity to transform what would otherwise be a brief period of alienation or loneliness<ref name="AP2006"> </ref> into one of socializing, gathering, and celebration.<ref name="TimesThings">[http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/things-to-do-if-you-dont-do-christmas/ Jennifer 8. Lee, ''Things to Do if You Don’t Do Christmas'', New York Times, December 23, 2004]</ref> The event has turned Christmas Eve into a matchmaking or dating event for young Jews<ref name="AP2006"> </ref><ref name="Philly">''This Jewish singles party comes but once a year, Christmas Eve has become the hottest annual date for meeting a potential mate'', Philadelphia Inquirer, December 25, 2003, available via [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_multi=PI|&p_product=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_site=philly&s_trackval=PI&s_search_type=keyword&s_dispstring=%22matzoball%22%20AND%20%22christmas%20eve%22%20AND%20date%28all%29&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=%28%22matzoball%22%20AND%20%22christmas%20eve%22%29&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no&s_trackval=GooglePM Newsbank Archives]</ref> and "the biggest singles night of the year."<ref name="Globe">[http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/relationships/articles/2008/12/24/looking_for_a_marry_little_holiday/ Meredith Goldstein, ''Looking for a marry little holiday?'', Boston Globe, December 24, 2008]</ref> |
Christmas and Christmas Eve typically serve as times of family gathering and prayer for Christians and many others in the United States.<ref name="TimesSeason">[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE1DA143DF937A15751C1A96E9C8B63 Jennifer 8. Lee, ''A Season of More'', New York Times, December 24, 2008]</ref> However, many [[American Jews]] do not treat the Christmas holiday in the same way.<ref name="TimesDeciding">[http://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/16/garden/deciding-to-celebrate-christmas-or-not.html?pagewanted=all Brenda Lane Richardson, ''Deciding to Celebrate Christmas, or Not'', New York Times, December 16, 1987]</ref><ref name="TimesOff">[http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/22/nyregion/off-on-yom-kippur-it-s-probably-time-to-work-a-holiday.html?pagewanted=all Daniel J. Wakin, ''Off on Yom Kippur? It's Probably Time To Work a Holiday'', New York Times, December 22, 2003]</ref> This makes the night of December 24 an opportunity to transform what would otherwise be a brief period of alienation or loneliness<ref name="AP2006"> </ref> into one of socializing, gathering, and celebration.<ref name="TimesThings">[http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/things-to-do-if-you-dont-do-christmas/ Jennifer 8. Lee, ''Things to Do if You Don’t Do Christmas'', New York Times, December 23, 2004]</ref> The event has turned Christmas Eve into a matchmaking or dating event for young Jews<ref name="JTA2007">[http://jta.org/news/article-print/2007/12/31/106182/matzoball Ben Harris and Jacob Berkman, ''Hitting the Matzo Balls on Christmas Eve'', JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency),December 31, 2007]</ref><ref name="AP2006"> </ref><ref name="Philly">''This Jewish singles party comes but once a year, Christmas Eve has become the hottest annual date for meeting a potential mate'', Philadelphia Inquirer, December 25, 2003, available via [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_multi=PI|&p_product=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_site=philly&s_trackval=PI&s_search_type=keyword&s_dispstring=%22matzoball%22%20AND%20%22christmas%20eve%22%20AND%20date%28all%29&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=%28%22matzoball%22%20AND%20%22christmas%20eve%22%29&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no&s_trackval=GooglePM Newsbank Archives]</ref> and "the biggest singles night of the year."<ref name="Globe">[http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/relationships/articles/2008/12/24/looking_for_a_marry_little_holiday/ Meredith Goldstein, ''Looking for a marry little holiday?'', Boston Globe, December 24, 2008]</ref> |
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The first Matzo Ball event was held in Boston in 1987<ref name="AP2006"> </ref> |
The first Matzo Ball event was held in [[Boston]] in 1987.<ref name="AP2006"> </ref> |
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*Denver |
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*Miami and elsewhere in south Florida |
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==Events== |
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Matzo Ball events are generally held at popular nightclubs in the cities in which the event is located.<ref name="JTA2007"> </ref> The event is typically scheduled to begin at 8 or 9 p.m. and run through the [[last call (bar term)|last call]] time for the state/locality, with peak attendance and crowds at approximately midnight.<ref name="Pep">[http://pepgiraffe.blogspot.com/2007/12/twas-night-before-christmas-2007.html PepGiraffe, ''Twas the Night Before Christmas, 2007'', PepGiraffe, 2007]</ref> |
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It has expanded to cities including:<ref name="Canada"> </ref><ref name="MatzoBall">[http://matzoball.org/event.php Society of Young Jewish Professionals, ''Choose Your City'', MatzoBall.org, 2009]</ref> |
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*[[Chicago]] |
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*[[south Florida]] — in particular, [[Miami Beach]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], and [[Delray Beach]] |
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*[[Atlanta]] |
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*[[Las Vegas]] |
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*[[Los Angeles]] (although owing to the much more established LA Christmas Eve presence of Stu & Lew Productions Schmooz-a-Palooza,<ref name="AP2006"> </ref> which was acquired by [[JDate]] in 2006,<ref name="Schmooz">[http://www.onlinedatingscene.com/archives/214 Press Release, ''Spark Networks Acquires Schmooz-a-Palooza'', OnlineDatingScene, December 7, 2006]</ref> the status of the Matzo Ball in LA is typically uncertain) |
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*[[Montreal]] |
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*[[Toronto]] |
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The event is organized by the Society of Young Jewish Professionals, an organization created by the founder of the event, Andy Rudnick.<ref name="AP2006"> </ref> The organizers believe that more than 1,000 marriages have resulted from meetings at various Matzo Balls, and Rudnick himself met his wife at a Matzo Ball.<ref name="Boca"> ''Plans Under Way for holiday 'Matzo Ball' in Boca, Elsewhere'', Boca Raton/Delray Beach News, November 4, 2007, p. 6A, available via [http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1291&dat=20071104&id=jQcQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GY8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5479,152635 Google News]</ref><ref name="AP2006"> </ref> |
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==Competitors== |
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There are also a number of competitors to the Matzo Ball and other events organized in cities where no Matzo Ball is held.<ref name="AP2006"> </ref> |
There are also a number of competitors to the Matzo Ball and other events organized in cities where no Matzo Ball is held.<ref name="AP2006"> </ref><ref name="JTA2007"> </ref> |
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The largest and most geographically widespread competitor is known simply as "The Ball".<ref name="AP2006"> </ref> In New York, The Ball focuses on having separate venues, currently five, targeted by age [[demographic]], and with attendees receiving limousine service between venues.<ref name="JTA1999"> </ref><ref name="JTA2007"> </ref> The Ball has, like the Matzo Ball, also expanded into other U.S. cities with major Jewish populations.<ref name="AP2006"> </ref> |
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Other New York City Jewish Christmas Eve events include parties for "pro-Israel crowd, Jewish gays and lesbians, and downtown Jewish hipsters."<ref name="JTA2007"> </ref> |
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Likewise, Chicago Jewish Christmas Eve events run the gamut of tastes and preferred crowd, including events named 'Rockmitzvah', 'Hubukkah', the Heebonism bash, 'The Juju Ball', and the long runing but now defunct 'Retro Eve'.<ref name="Chicago">[http://www.chicagomag.com/Radar/Nightspotting/December-2008/Matzo-Tov/ Sarah Preston, ''Matzo Tov!'', Chicago Magazine blog, December 11, 2008]</ref> |
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Other major cities have homegrown Christmas Eve events that were established long before the Matzo Ball or The Ball entered the local scene, including [[Seattle]]'s Latkepalooza <ref name="Seattle">[http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/archives/128291.asp Candace Heckman, ''What if you're Jewish and bored stiff on Christmas Eve?'', Seattle Post-Intelligencer - The Big Blog, December 24, 2007]</ref> and [[San Francisco]]'s The Latke Ball,<ref name="SF">[http://www.jewishjournal.com/thecalendargirls/item/one_jews_christmas_eve/ Jay Firestone, ''One Jew's Christmas Eve'', The Jewish Journal (Los Angeles) - Calendar Girls blog, December 28, 2007]</ref> both of which are sponsored by their local [[Jewish Federation]]'s [[young professionals]] divisions. |
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==Criticisms== |
==Criticisms== |
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The Matzo Ball and similar events have been subject to mild criticism that the events are "[[meet markets]]" with female attendees dressed |
The Matzo Ball and similar events have been subject to mild criticism that the events are "[[meet markets]]" with female attendees dressed in an inappropriately revealingly manner and male attendees using awkward pickup lines and noticeably prowling.<ref name="JTA1999">[http://jta.org/news/article/1999/11/30/14809/Thesearchfortheb ''Seeking the perfect Matzo Ball'', JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency), November 30, 1999]</ref><ref name="Chimpstein">[http://chimpstein.blogspot.com/2006/01/nothing-left-to-imagination.html Evan Gahr, Nothing Left to the Imagination,Chimpstein, January 1, 2006, ]</ref><ref name="Pep"> </ref><ref name="GreenEggs">[http://chapter2006.blogspot.com/2006/12/merry-christmas.html GreenEggsSamDC, ''Merry Christmas'', Chapter2006, December 25, 2006]</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 17:23, 19 November 2009
- For the traditional Jewish food, see Matzah ball.
The Matzo Ball is an annual Christmas Eve nightlife event and party held in a number of major cities in the United States and Canada targeted primarily at young Jewish singles.[1][2]
Background
Christmas and Christmas Eve typically serve as times of family gathering and prayer for Christians and many others in the United States.[3] However, many American Jews do not treat the Christmas holiday in the same way.[4][5] This makes the night of December 24 an opportunity to transform what would otherwise be a brief period of alienation or loneliness[1] into one of socializing, gathering, and celebration.[6] The event has turned Christmas Eve into a matchmaking or dating event for young Jews[7][1][8] and "the biggest singles night of the year."[9]
The first Matzo Ball event was held in Boston in 1987.[1]
Events
Matzo Ball events are generally held at popular nightclubs in the cities in which the event is located.[7] The event is typically scheduled to begin at 8 or 9 p.m. and run through the last call time for the state/locality, with peak attendance and crowds at approximately midnight.[10] It has expanded to cities including:[2][11]
- New York
- Chicago
- Washington, DC
- south Florida — in particular, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Delray Beach
- Atlanta
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles (although owing to the much more established LA Christmas Eve presence of Stu & Lew Productions Schmooz-a-Palooza,[1] which was acquired by JDate in 2006,[12] the status of the Matzo Ball in LA is typically uncertain)
- Montreal
- Toronto
The event is organized by the Society of Young Jewish Professionals, an organization created by the founder of the event, Andy Rudnick.[1] The organizers believe that more than 1,000 marriages have resulted from meetings at various Matzo Balls, and Rudnick himself met his wife at a Matzo Ball.[13][1]
Competitors
There are also a number of competitors to the Matzo Ball and other events organized in cities where no Matzo Ball is held.[1][7]
The largest and most geographically widespread competitor is known simply as "The Ball".[1] In New York, The Ball focuses on having separate venues, currently five, targeted by age demographic, and with attendees receiving limousine service between venues.[14][7] The Ball has, like the Matzo Ball, also expanded into other U.S. cities with major Jewish populations.[1]
Other New York City Jewish Christmas Eve events include parties for "pro-Israel crowd, Jewish gays and lesbians, and downtown Jewish hipsters."[7]
Likewise, Chicago Jewish Christmas Eve events run the gamut of tastes and preferred crowd, including events named 'Rockmitzvah', 'Hubukkah', the Heebonism bash, 'The Juju Ball', and the long runing but now defunct 'Retro Eve'.[15]
Other major cities have homegrown Christmas Eve events that were established long before the Matzo Ball or The Ball entered the local scene, including Seattle's Latkepalooza [16] and San Francisco's The Latke Ball,[17] both of which are sponsored by their local Jewish Federation's young professionals divisions.
Criticisms
The Matzo Ball and similar events have been subject to mild criticism that the events are "meet markets" with female attendees dressed in an inappropriately revealingly manner and male attendees using awkward pickup lines and noticeably prowling.[14][18][10][19]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Christmas Eve parties now a Jewish tradition, Associated Press (MSNBC), December 23, 2006
- ^ a b Mike Cohen, Famous Matzo Ball parties to land here, Jewish Tribune (Canada), November 10, 2009
- ^ Jennifer 8. Lee, A Season of More, New York Times, December 24, 2008
- ^ Brenda Lane Richardson, Deciding to Celebrate Christmas, or Not, New York Times, December 16, 1987
- ^ Daniel J. Wakin, Off on Yom Kippur? It's Probably Time To Work a Holiday, New York Times, December 22, 2003
- ^ Jennifer 8. Lee, Things to Do if You Don’t Do Christmas, New York Times, December 23, 2004
- ^ a b c d e Ben Harris and Jacob Berkman, Hitting the Matzo Balls on Christmas Eve, JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency),December 31, 2007
- ^ This Jewish singles party comes but once a year, Christmas Eve has become the hottest annual date for meeting a potential mate, Philadelphia Inquirer, December 25, 2003, available via Newsbank Archives
- ^ Meredith Goldstein, Looking for a marry little holiday?, Boston Globe, December 24, 2008
- ^ a b PepGiraffe, Twas the Night Before Christmas, 2007, PepGiraffe, 2007
- ^ Society of Young Jewish Professionals, Choose Your City, MatzoBall.org, 2009
- ^ Press Release, Spark Networks Acquires Schmooz-a-Palooza, OnlineDatingScene, December 7, 2006
- ^ Plans Under Way for holiday 'Matzo Ball' in Boca, Elsewhere, Boca Raton/Delray Beach News, November 4, 2007, p. 6A, available via Google News
- ^ a b Seeking the perfect Matzo Ball, JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency), November 30, 1999
- ^ Sarah Preston, Matzo Tov!, Chicago Magazine blog, December 11, 2008
- ^ Candace Heckman, What if you're Jewish and bored stiff on Christmas Eve?, Seattle Post-Intelligencer - The Big Blog, December 24, 2007
- ^ Jay Firestone, One Jew's Christmas Eve, The Jewish Journal (Los Angeles) - Calendar Girls blog, December 28, 2007
- ^ Evan Gahr, Nothing Left to the Imagination,Chimpstein, January 1, 2006,
- ^ GreenEggsSamDC, Merry Christmas, Chapter2006, December 25, 2006
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