Online Dating Service Involves Jewish Mothers Because, Really, Is It Such a Crime to Ask for Help?

Tzeitel: But Mama, the men she finds. The last one was so old and he was bald. He had no hair.

Golde: A poor girl without a dowry can't be so particular. You want hair, marry a monkey.

-- "Fiddler on the Roof"

All your mother wants to do is help you find a nice Jewish boy so that -- God willing -- she can have some grandchildren before she dies.

Is that so much for a poor old woman who has done so much for you to ask?

Jewish mothers now have help in meddling with their children's love lives, with TheJMom.com, an online yente, you might say. The site streamlines this dating business by cutting out the middle man (or woman) and dealing directly with the parents.

You don't sign up for the online dating service -- your Jewish parent does. Mom screens all the suitors and makes all the preliminary arrangements -- with the help of other Jewish mothers, of course.

The new site, which has only been up and running since Nov. 30, already has 69 users, founder Brad Weisberg, 30, of Chicago tells ParentDish.

A quick search for available Jewish women in New York City turned up just two prospects. And, we're just guessing here, but there are probably more than two eligible Jewish women within 100 miles of New York City.

But give the site time Weisberg, who started the site with his little sister, Danielle, 26, says.

"It was her idea, but it was brought about by our mother and our own dating experiences," he tells ParentDish.

Both Weisberg and his sister were on online dating sites, and their mother, Barbara, kept wanting to see their prospects. They finally let her take a peek.

"An hour later, she had a list of names," he says.

The proverbial light bulb went off above Danielle Weisberg's head.

"Moms have been setting up their children for centuries," she says in a press release. "We've made it simple for Mom to get online and start hand-picking her son or daughter's next date."

You don't have to be a Jewish mother to sign up for the site, Brad Weisberg tells ParentDish, but it helps. The site is geared to promote networking among parents. Individuals seeking romance for themselves should probably stick to other dating sites, he says.

The Weisbergs have been promoting the new site through Chicago-area synagogues, Facebook and Twitter. And yes, both siblings are on the site.

"Their social life is good and healthy, but I know that meeting new friends in the big city is not easy," Barbara Weisberg tells other parents on the site. "It's more comfortable to be with kids raised in a similar Jewish background."

Other mothers are getting involved too, Brad Weisberg says.

One of the two Jewish mothers to come up in a search of New York is Betty Rubenstein, who, along with her husband, lives in Fort Myers, Fla. They're looking for a match for their 26-year daughter, Marissa, who lives in Manhattan where she works as a teacher and voice-over artist. She is conservative and a "great catch."

Why is Marissa a great catch?

You'll just have to log on to get more information. You also can learn more about Marissa's interests and what she's looking for in a significant other (at least according to her mom).

Marissa might be a match for Elijah, 25, apparently the only Jewish boy in New York City at the moment. His mother, Clara, (she doesn't give their last name) says he comes from "a nice, fun-loving, dedicated Jewish family."

Like Marissa, Elijah is conservative and lives in Manhattan. He works as a legal consultant and is interested in music, literature, traveling and charity.

"He is wonderful young guy," his mother assures other mothers. "He loves children and he is working for a prospering law firm."

As for what he's looking for in a significant other, Clara says he wants "something special."

Such a nice boy.

"More parents are recognizing that making connections online can lead to love offline," Danielle Weisberg says in the release. "TheJMom.com puts parents behind the keyboard and lets them do the clicking and the matching."

Jewish mothers accessing the site just need to enter an e-mail address, choose a password and fill out information about themselves and their child.

And if they do it now, they can get a year's free membership. Sort of. It expires at the end the month.

Stop rolling your eyes. Your mother only wants what's best for you. If that's a crime, well, guilty as charged.