The “Rebbe,” or Grand Rabbi of Boyan met with all the local matchmakers Monday, and urged them to male a special effort to marry off the “older singles” in his community.
“Older singes” is a term used for unmarried men over 23, and woman over 21.
The Rebbe promised a $4,000 reward to anyone whose suggestion led to marriage.
A similar initiative was recently adopted by the Belz Hasidic group.
The Center of the Belz institutions made it clear that on instructions from the Rebbe, any matchmaker who successfully matched a young man or woman over the age of twenty in the next six months would receive $1,000.
The Skver Hasidic sect in the United States currently gives matchmakers $3,000 for every marriage they make involving an older single.
Hassidic Jews are expected to marry young, often at 18, and one that does not succeed to finding a match before the age of 23 is often considered ‘damaged goods,’ making it significantly harder in a community where men and woman are expected to meet through a matchmaker.
