FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RAMAHDATE LAUNCHES TOMORROW, MAY 15, 2015

Partnership Between JDate and Ramah Camping Movement
Aims to Connect Ramah Alumni Ages 18+

NEW YORK, NY (May 14, 2015) – The Ramah Camping Movement is thrilled to announce that RamahDate, the first-ever partnership between JDate and a Jewish camping movement, will launch tomorrow, May 15, 2015. A project of the Reshet Ramah alumni and community engagement initiative, RamahDate will offer former Ramah campers and staff members the opportunity to connect online with other Ramah alumni 18 years of age and older who share the passion for vibrant Jewish life that characterizes the Camp Ramah experience.

“At Ramah, people find community and develop a strong Jewish identity and a commitment to living Jewishly,” said Rabbi Abigail Treu, Ramah’s Director of Community Outreach and Young Adult Engagement. “RamahDate is one more tool that our movement can use to support our alumni in a pathway of involvement in Jewish life throughout all stages of their lives.” Beth Kopin, chair of Reshet Ramah’s RamahDate subcommittee, added, “When you meet another Ramahnik, there’s this feeling of being like family already—that shared communal experience of Shabbat singing, of Maccabiah or being in a Hebrew musical, of exploring Israel together. It’s like being part of a smaller tribe within a larger tribe.”

A well-established, iconic industry leader, JDate is responsible for more Jewish marriages than all other online dating sites combined. Online dating has become increasingly prevalent in the last decade; Jews who married in 2011 were more than twice as likely to have used online dating than those married in 2003.  John Volturo, Chief Marketing Officer for Spark Networks, said, “Our Team at JDate couldn’t be more thrilled to be partnering with Ramah. JDate’s mission to strengthen the Jewish community and Ramah’s desire to create a social network that allows everything from chat to dating is a perfect fit for us.”

Rabbi Mitchell Cohen, Director of the National Ramah Commission, said, “Ramah has long been associated with the establishment of enduring relationships and marriages. By fostering strong Jewish marriages, we hope this partnership with JDate will further our common goals for Jewish continuity.”

RamahDate members will subscribe to JDate through an exclusive link for Ramah alumni only and receive an identifying Ramah “badge” on their online profile. Ramahniks can choose to “meet” only other Ramahniks or search more broadly within JDate’s 750,000 members worldwide. Participation in RamahDate will support the Ramah Camping Movement, with a portion of the initial subscription purchase being directed to Ramah camper scholarships.

About Reshet Ramah

Reshet Ramah’s (www.reshetramah.org) mission is to increase adult Jewish engagement by using the power and passion of the existing Ramah alumni network to create stronger, more vibrant Jewish communities in North America. This is accomplished through innovative programming driven by Ramah alumni and camps, collaboration with partner organizations and network weaving, with the end result of enabling thousands of young adults to lead more active Jewish lives.

Reshet Ramah is supported by generous grants from The AVI CHAI Foundation and the Maimonides Fund.

About JDate.com

With more than 750,000 active members worldwide, JDate® (www.JDate.com, www.JDate.co.uk, www.JDate.co.il and www.JDate.fr) is the leading online community for Jewish singles, responsible for more Jewish marriages than all other dating sites combined. JDate recently renewed its look with a campaign that emphasizes the “J” in JDate. This “Get Chosen” rebrand furthers JDate’s goal of bringing likeminded Jewish singles together, and celebrates the cultural traditions and experiences that unite the Jewish community. JDate is owned and operated by Spark Networks®, Inc. (www.spark.net), whose mission is to create iconic, niche-focused brands that build and strengthen the communities they serve. Spark Networks’ shares trade on the NYSE MKT under the symbol “LOV” (NYSE MKT: LOV). In addition to JDate, the Spark Networks portfolio of consumer websites includes, among other brands, ChristianMingle® (www.ChristianMingle.com).

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Click here to read eJewishPhilanthropy’s coverage of the JDate launch.