Meet Matchmaker Rachel Heiser [Cleveland Yentas Review]

Curious about Jewish matchmaking service Cleveland Yentas and its founder, Rachel Heiser? You’re in the right place.

This Cleveland Yentas review is jam-packed with information on their matchmaking process, application questionnaire, and cost.

Our team of experts has been in the industry for over 14 years, so we know firsthand what singles are looking for in a matchmaking service. 

We’ve reviewed over 200 matchmakers, diving deep into their processes, costs, customer experiences, and more. This review has everything you need to decide if Rachel Heiser is the right Jewish matchmaker for you.

Let’s get started!

Meet Jewish Matchmaker Rachel Heiser

Recognizing the need for a better way for Jewish singles to meet in Cleveland, Pepper-Pike resident Rachel Heiser came up with the idea for Cleveland Yentas in 2013. 

She gathered a group of people who were passionate about bringing people in the Jewish community together, and Cleveland Yentas became a not-for-profit corporation in 2014. 

This Jewish matchmaking service operates primarily on a micro grant from the Charles & Lynn Schusterman Philanthropic Network. 

The matchmaking team is composed of local volunteers who meet on a monthly basis to consider potential matches, make pairings based on shared values, and review new profiles as they’re submitted.

As Heiser explained to JStyle Magazine, their mission is simple:

“We’re truly looking for good matches for people. We want to grow the Jewish community and keep it strong here in Cleveland.”

Cleveland Yentas is exclusively for single Jews looking to date other Jews, and focuses on providing traditional matchmaking for the non-Orthodox community. They don’t turn away Orthodox singles, but according to their website that’s not their focus and represents a “very small portion” of their clientele.

This Cleveland matchmaking service is also strictly for locals, or those who are moving to the area.

Like many boutique matchmakers, Heiser also takes on the role of dating and relationship advisor. She dispenses dating advice to clients, and also provides tips to Jewish singles via media interviews and the Cleveland Yentas blog.

For example, in an interview with JStyle Magazine, Heiser says she doesn’t believe a first date needs to be perfect in order for there to be a second one. 

She also encourages singles to think outside the box and embrace the idea of activity dating:

“Do an activity with someone to get to know them, or at least have the process where you’re not just sitting somewhere. When you’re doing something interactive and out of your comfort zone, you’re experiencing something together so you have something to talk about.”

Heiser says she recommends that newly matched singles meet at a museum, go ax throwing, or take an exciting class together such as glass blowing.

Now, let’s take a look at…

What To Expect If You Sign Up For Cleveland Yentas

If you’d like to be considered for matching by the team, you can submit your profile via the website. 

This includes uploading a photo and answering basic questions about your appearance, education level, political views, religious affiliation, kashrut level, lifestyle choices, relationship history, and desires in a partner.

You’ll also be asked a few in-depth questions, like why you think your last long-term relationship and/or marriage ended. Your profile answers are not shown to potential matches.

Submitting your profile is free, and as a not-for-profit organization there is no charge for being matched with anyone. 

But as the website makes clear in the terms & conditions, Cleveland Yentas is not a matchmaking service in the traditional sense, because you’re not paying for a service. Instead, it’s a “group of people performing a mitzvah without charging a fee.”

That means it operates differently from other Jewish matchmaking services you may be considering.

Apart from there being no associated cost, there is also no contract, and no guarantee of ever being matched with anyone or even contacted after you submit your profile.

Submitting your profile simply means the team will keep you in mind as a potential match for the other singles who have also uploaded profiles.

The team will only get in touch if they have a question about the profile you submitted, or if you’re being considered as part of a pairing. There is no time frame associated with the process.

If they do find a potential match for you, the team reaches out to both parties with a brief description of the other person. If both parties are interested, they are given each other’s contact details. Then it is up to you and your match to connect.

Heiser encourages matched singles to meet within a week or two. As she explained to JStyle Magazine, 

“What we try to push is, when you agree to going out, you actually have to talk to each other on the phone and meet within a week or two. There’s a hesitancy to get in front of people, and we try to encourage people to do that more because that’s how you really can connect with someone.”

After the date, both parties are expected to contact their respective matchmakers at Cleveland Yentas to provide feedback and give an update about how the date went.

Heiser stresses that Cleveland Yentas isn’t a dating service, and it’s not about how many dates you go on. The matchmaking team focuses on quality and compatibility, not quantity. 

Is Rachel Heiser The Right Jewish Matchmaker For You?

There’s no question that Heiser and her team of volunteers are dedicated to their mission of connecting Jewish singles. 

But you do want to keep in mind that Cleveland Yentas is pulling from a limited pool of profiles - you’ll only be matched with other Jewish singles who submitted a profile. There is no proactive scouting done outside of that database.

And if your bashert happened to sign up, the team may indeed pair the two of you up during one of their review sessions. It’s also possible that you could be waiting quite a while to meet someone truly compatible, if in fact you ever do.

That’s largely because compatibility is a two-way street: Your match needs to fit your criteria, and they also have to be seeking someone exactly like you. 

Statistically speaking, making consistently high-quality matches from within a pool of singles from any one area is almost impossible to do. The numbers required simply aren’t there.

If you want the best chances of meeting someone truly relationship worthy, why not consider VIDA Select? VIDA’s matchmakers leverage the largest source of Jewish singles there is!

That means you can look forward to dates with compatible matches who are excited to meet you, too.

VIDA offers an array of matchmaking packages, all offered on a month-to-month basis. Since you pay as you go, there are no long-term contracts. 

Basic matchmaking packages start at just $1195 per month. The final package price highly aligns with the number of hours your dedicated personal matchmaker will spend on your search. 

VIDA clients typically meet someone special within just 3 months of starting service. Curious about VIDA? Find out more here! 

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