Jewish Singles: Jewish Music Concert followed by dessert & champagne

Have you seen the Boston Public Library murals depicting the Jewish prophets – with their names in Hebrew? Have you seen the mural with the bracha in Hebrew that you say when you’re called for an aliyah?

See the murals, then walk for coffee and conversation to a nearby art gallery exhibiting Bill Aron's photographs of Jerusalem.

Date: Sunday, May 20, 2012. (This is Yom Yerushalayim, which marks the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. It is also a week before Shavuot and a week before Memorial Day Weekend.)

Time: 2:00-4:30 p.m.

Place: Copley Square and Back Bay, Boston.

Age group: Jewish singles ages 45 to 65.

Cost: $9.

Details on how the afternoon will unfold:

2:00 p.m.:

• Meet in Copley Square. (Sorry, no “walk-ins”! You can’t just show up and join us. Please register; details are below.)

• Count the number of Jews among the 200 names of eminent people carved into the library’s façade.

• Learn about the (controversial) artistic and historical context of the murals.

• View the murals.

3:00-4:30 p.m.:

• Walk to a nearby art gallery.

• View photos of Jerusalem.

• Coffee, light refreshments, and conversation.

How to RSVP

• Print and fill in the form at the bottom.
• Make out a check to Ken Bresler, the event organizer, for $9 for each prospective participant.
• Mail the check to Ken Bresler, 71 Withington Rd., Newton, MA 02460. (Who's Ken and why should you make out the check to him? See below.)

RSVP mechanics (kind of important)

This will be a gender-balanced event! Therefore:

• A woman and man who RSVP in the same envelope will both go on the guest list.

• A woman or man who RSVPs "solo" will go on the guest list if the number of women and men participants is balanced.

• If the number is imbalanced, a "solo" woman or man will go on the wait list until a "solo" member of the opposite sex RSVPs.

Why are we doing it this way? Not to exclude anyone, but to improve the "singles" experience of the event for participants.

So you’ve probably figured out the strategy: To get on the guest list, recruit a member of the opposite sex to attend and RSVP at the same time. To increase your chances of getting on the guest list, RSVP early. If you send in a check, but do not make it on to the guest list, we won't cash your check. How will you know if you've made it on to the guest list? We'll stay in touch with you. Some people don't like the guest list-wait list thing, but participants do like the resulting gender-balanced event.

How to recruit a member of the opposite sex

Some singles say, “If I knew a member of the opposite sex well, I wouldn’t be thinking about a singles event.” Well, dating a member of the opposite sex is different from recruiting someone to attend an event with you. How do you find a member of the opposite sex to attend with? Ask a platonic friend. Ask someone with whom you’ve had a date or two and didn’t click. Ask your cousin. Ask your cousin’s coworker or your coworker’s cousin, and offer to pay for his or her admission Call your local Chabad rabbi and ask him to suggest a recruit – seriously. These are all techniques that have worked.

A note from the organizer

Most recently, I organized a Jewish singles’ event on March 3, 2012; it entailed a singles section at a Boston Jewish Music Festival concert, followed by a champagne reception. Before that, I organized a Dec. 25, 2011 event at Kolbo in Brookline, Mass.

My first event was the successful Tu b’Av singles’ event at Temple Reyim in Newton, Mass. on July 24, 2010. That’s when I learned that Jewish singles, especially in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, are eager for cultural events. Then I organized a December 8, 2010 wine-and-cheese event at the Pucker Gallery on Newbury Street in Back Bay. After that, it was a similar wine, cheese, and art event at Hebrew College in Newton, Mass. on June 30, 2011, and Tu b'Av at Temple Reyim again on Aug. 14, 2011.

I have said "we" on this website, but it's just me. This isn't a group; this is just me with a mailing list, doing occasional events. And because this isn't a group, the mix of people changes every time.

If, before you send me a check, you need assurance that this is legit, call me and I’ll connect you with someone who’ll be able to assure you.

Hope to see you in Copley Square!

Ken Bresler
617-620-1685 e-mail: ken at bresler.us

Selected feedback from Tu b’Av 2010

“What a lovely morning!”

- Susie G.

Feedback from Tu b'Av 2011

“Thanks for your efforts partnering with God in making matches!”

- Rabbi Benjamin Shalva, Temple Reyim

"....a lot of nice people, good food, heimish venue, great music, stimulating discussions."

- J.R.

"That was fantastic today. Perfect composition and flow of events!"

- Mark L.

From the Pucker Gallery event

“You are a wonderful host! Everything was good: the program, the location, the crowd, the flow of the event – and the Merlot. People said that you create a nice community through your events.”

- Angela S.

“I’ve been raving to folks about how classy the evening was. No matter whether I met someone or not, it was nice to have people dressed well and not be in a synagogue basement social hall. Yasher Ko'ach!!! You da’ bomb.”

- Lisa L.

From the Kolbo event

"....another wonderful imaginative evening."

- Lisa L.

"Terrific combination of people, setting, intellectual stimulus and Jewishness...."

- S.C.

Yeah, but what happens after the events?

“I…ended up going on a couple of dates with someone from your last event….So your events and efforts do work.”

- A man

"I personally have gotten at least 1 date from every event....Your events attract a good caliber of people...because they are so well thought out, have substance, and have an intellectual aspect...."

- A woman

Make a check out to Ken Bresler, $9 per participant, and send it to

Ken Bresler, 71 Withington Rd., Newton, MA 02460

Name _______________________________________

E-mail ______________________________________
(Unless you say otherwise, your e-mail will go on the mailing list for Ken's future events. He sometimes sends e-mail about Jewish singles events that other people organize.)

Phone _______________________________________
(We will use this only if we need to contact you about the event.)

Check one:

__ I am a woman RSVP’ing “solo.”

__ I am a man RSVP’ing “solo.”

__ I am a woman or man RSVP’ing with a member of the opposite sex. I enclose payment and a form for each of us. If I sign up with a member of the opposite sex, both of us understand that both of us must appear. That is, both of us understand that two of us cannot register, and only one of us attend.