Fed Up With Dating Apps, More Singles Are Returning to Matchmaking

A new Israeli magazine piece examines why many young singles are abandoning dating apps and turning back to matchmaking, speed dating, and community-based introductions. The article, published on June 11, 2026, argues that endless swiping has left many users exhausted, cynical, and stuck in a loop of first dates that rarely become relationships.

The story opens with S., a 31-year-old from Tel Aviv, who said one date became unforgettable when the man arrived with his mother. The mother stayed for about 15 minutes, describing his childhood and qualities as if she were promoting him. S. later concluded that she did not need more dates, but better ones, and that is why she moved toward shidduch-style introductions. She said she eventually began seeing someone and hoped, as she joked, to meet his mother again under better circumstances.

Several people described how app culture pushed them away. Ortal HaOrostok, co-founder with her husband Johnny of the matchmaking initiatives “Hikkarut im Mechuyavut” and “Duch Shidduch,” said she once went on nearly 100 dates a year and was recognized in public from dating apps. She said she realized she was strong at first dates but struggled to turn them into a bond. Others recounted strange encounters, including a 35-year-old real-estate entrepreneur whose dates ended because he brought an iPad presentation about himself, and a tennis coach who discovered midway through a date that the woman was already in a relationship and had really come to arrange tennis lessons.

The article says app fatigue is not unique to Israel. Roni Koum, founder of “HaShadchan HaMeuvan,” described the “paradox of choice,” saying users face hundreds or thousands of profiles and keep thinking a better match may be one swipe away. Psychologist and researcher Dr. Liat Yakir said dating apps exploit dopamine in a way similar to gambling machines, making the experience feel infinite and hollow while human matchmakers restore a sense of being seen as a person, not a profile. Organizers say more singles are deleting apps, especially since the war, and seeking face-to-face encounters instead.

The piece also profiles Iris Salomon, who runs speed-dating events around the country and says some couples who met that way have married. The new matchmaking model, it says, combines community, group chats, workshops, and curated introductions. Participants often say they stay because they realize they are not alone. The article closes with more awkward first-date stories, including a man who brought his hamster to a date, and says the broader shift is still unfolding, but the desire is clear, to be truly seen.