Published: 4 July 2023
Last updated: 5 March 2024
Ahead of an upcoming ABC premiere, RUBY KRANER-TUCCI speaks with filmmaker JOSH BEN-MOSHE about the complexities of Jewish dating and whether his documentary can resonate with a wider Australian audience.
Young Australian Jews looking for romance are facing a dilemma: hold out for a Jewish partner within a limited dating pool, or search outside the community and faith to find true love.
This common experience is the focus of Jewish Singles in the Snow, a new TV documentary following hopeful Jewish singles on a four-day ski retreat in the Victorian alps. It’s the brainchild of writer and director Josh Ben-Moshe, a young Australian Jew himself, who understands first-hand the complexities of modern dating.
“Jewish dating is a central talking point within the Australian Jewish community,” explained Ben-Moshe, an emerging documentary filmmaker who works for an international content production company.
“Concerns over rising intermarriage rates that threaten population growth; struggles to find a match within the 100,000-person community that makes you feel like you know everybody, or just the local Bubbeh trying to set you up with their very handsome grandson. The question of whether or not to marry Jewish was a personal one that I grappled with. Is Judaism worth more to me than romantic love? At what point would I venture beyond the small Jewish dating pool into the ocean? What does Judaism mean to me? These are the questions that inspired Jewish Singles in the Snow.”
While the ski retreat is Orthodox-run, created with Jewish continuity in mind, the attendees reflect the diversity of Australia’s modern Jewish community. This includes 29-year-old Jarod Rhine-Davis, a gay Jewish man looking for "the one" within what he calls a “dating puddle”.
“There are so few choices as a gay Jewish man,” Rhine-Davis told The Jewish Independent. “[I’m] looking for a subset within a subset, and that’s before you talk about interests, personalities, ages and geographic locations.”
Rhine-Davis says the filming process helped him reflect on his Jewish identity and hopes for his future relationships.
“It was a very interesting experience being filmed for love because love can be vulnerable. The documentary forced me to face and critically analyse questions related to my quest and put them into the larger context of Judaism,” he said.
“I want someone who respects me for who I am, which includes my Jewish culture. Events like [the ski retreat] can be a wonderful way to engage with other young Jews on the same or similar journey. While it is unlikely [I’d] find a gay Jewish partner specifically, there’s a zero-percent chance if I had stayed home.”
"Viewers of all ethnic minorities will relate to the complexities of dating as a minority, but all viewers will relate to the struggles of dating"
Rhine-Davis is one of four characters to feature in Jewish Singles in the Snow, alongside Ariel, who is contemplating intermarriage, and Daniel who moved interstate to better his chances of finding a partner who shares his religious values. The protagonist is Sara Yael, a 37-year-old secular “hippie”, who was more successful in her search for love.
“I feel very connected to Judaism, it feels like my tribe, my kin, my people,” Yael told The Jewish Independent. “It's not often you can go to a snow lodge with a bunch of young Jewish people and ski down a mountain slope. I think it's a pretty unique concept.”
While Yael’s story is captivating, the 27-minute documentary format is restrictive in creating a much-needed resolution for the remaining characters and audience alike. It is clear the documentary lends itself to a series, an outcome Ben-Moshe is not ruling out.
“We’re interested in creating something bigger. There’s a lot more to this story to explore, so we’ll see what happens,” he said.
As the future of Jewish Singles in the Snow reveals itself, Ben-Moshe is comforted by the broad appeal of the documentary to all Australians, regardless of whether they are Jewish.
“Viewers of all ethnic minorities will relate to the complexities of dating as a minority, but all viewers will relate to the struggles of dating,” he said.
“At its core, this is a heartfelt story about people searching for love. Their Jewishness, and the questions it raises, is one more obstacle on the path to finding it.”
Jewish Singles in the Snow airs on ABC TV on July 9 and will be available to stream on ABC iView.
Photos: Young Jewish Australians looking for romance feature in the documentary Jewish Singles in the Snow (Bellaria Pictures)
