New Dating App ‘JEWZZ’ Launched by Matzoball Founder

Founder of the famed Matzoball, Andy Rudnick, has taken his matchmaking abilities digital with the launch of ‘JEWZZ’ – a new dating app for Jewish singles. 

Launched in April, JEWZZ already has 6,000 users, with Rudnick hoping to reach 30,000 users in time for the next Matzoball on Christmas Eve. A plan to cross-promote the Matzoball with JEWZZ will see users of the app offered a discount on tickets for the event, which is set to be held across ten cities this year. 

Rudnick hosted the first Matzoball in Boston in 1987 as a young and freshly-graduated party promoter. By 1989, the Matzoball had expanded to Boca Raton and New York, growing from a yearly Christmas Eve event to a monthly Jewish singles party in all three cities. While the monthly parties ended in 1994, the annual Matzoball went on to become and remain a rite of passage for single Jews in their twenties and thirties. 

Rudnick describes dating apps as an important way for singles to connect before and after the in person parties, and after partnering with apps JSwipe and JDate for a number of years, he decided to create his own. 

JEWZZ incorporates a high-level of screening for would-be members, with language, photos and conversations vetted. In an interview with the Sun Sentinel, he suggests that 10% of all potential new users are rejected. 

The app offers features such as four-minute live speed dates and video calling to allow face-to-face conversation without sharing phone numbers. A free service allows users to video and voice chat, and to enjoy a limited number of likes and matches each day. Premium memberships offer unlimited likes and matches, allow members to search profiles in other cities, and to filter potential matches based on characteristics like height and profession. The premium membership also gives members free access to virtual speed dating events.

“I want to leave something behind that provides value and purpose for the Jewish community,” says Rodnick. “This is my calling, my legacy after 38 years.”  

For more information on the Jewzz app, visit Jewzz.com. To learn about the Matzoball, see Matzoball.org.