MONTREAL – Twenty-three years of history, millions of party-goers and 11 metropolitan cities across North America equal one unforgettable night. A holiday in its own right, the 23rd annual Matzo Ball takes place each Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, and always delivers a night of high-energy networking and matchmaking for Jewish singles aged 21 to 49.

This year, Toronto and Montreal have been added to the list of cities which already includes  Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Delray Beach,  Atlanta,  Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago and New York City.

The Toronto edition will take place at the Cobra (500 King St. W.) while Montrealers will party at Suite 701 (701 Côte de la Place d’Armes). Both bashes go from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. This is such a big production that professional PR firm TresKoi from Miami is working on the account.

“We’ve been to Toronto and Montreal in the past kind of informally,” Matzo Ball founder  Andrew Rudnick told the Jewish Tribune in a telephone interview from Boca Raton. “This year the two cities officially become part of our network and I am sure the parties will be wildly successful.”

USA Today dubs this annual affair the “Nation’s No. 1 Holiday Party.” Part reunion and part date-night, the Matzo Ball draws thousands of people to an exclusive, one-night only event taking place simultaneously in  different cities in North America.

JDate goes offline for one night to celebrate the Matzo Ball and provide Jewish singles with the opportunity to meet that nice Jewish boy or girl. Sponsored by Rudnick’s Society of Young Jewish Professionals (SYJP), his own SLEEK Medspa operation and JDate, the Matzo Ball makes a serious first impression by fostering networking opportunities, long-lasting friendships and romantic relationships for years to come.  

Rudnick founded SYJP in 1987 and he is proud to say it has sparked more than 1,000 marriages – including his own – and thousands of friendships.

A native of Boston, Rudnick admits that he did not invent the concept of bringing young Jews together in a club atmosphere on Christmas Eve – but he did perfect it.

“It was 1987,” he recalled. “I approached a nightclub that originally intended on closing that night. They opened up for me, expecting perhaps 300 to 400  people I could attract from the Jewish community. But close to 2,000 showed up.”

Soon after, Rudnick trademarked the Matzo Ball name and proceeded to expand the concept across the United States. “There was no internet at that time,” he said, “so I had to do a lot of gorilla marketing. In fact, this drew me into the singles business full-time.”

It was 10 years after his first party that Rudnick met his future wife Catherine. The couple now have three children. They moved to Boca Raton five years ago. Rudnick strictly oversees the Matzo Ball parties, but focuses most of his attention on his successful medical spa and surgery centre chain SLEEK MedSpa in Florida, Massachusetts and New York.

As the main sponsor, JDate helps get people on the ground in each city to handle logistics. However, Rudnick makes it a point of attending Matzo Ball events each year.
“I try to move around,”  he said. “Last year it was New York. One day it will Toronto and Montreal.”

With more than 650,000 active members worldwide, JDate (www.JDate.com) is the leading online community for Jewish singles.   

Tickets are available for advance purchase online for $25 at www.matzoball.org and can be purchased at the door for $30.