The joys and oys of dating in New York City have been well-documented on television, from Friends, to Seinfeld, to Sex and the City. But what about dating in that other center of young Jewish life—Jerusalem?
Enter Srugim, an Israeli television series that ran from 2008-2012 on Yes TV. The show revolved around five single people searching for spouses in the Modern Orthodox meat market of Katamon, a South Jerusalem neighborhood. Hodaya, Reut, Nati, Yifat, and Amir spend Shabbat meals together, pine after each other, fall in and out of love with Judaism, and lose their virginity. Named for the crocheted kippah typical of Israeli Modern Orthodoxy, Srugim was a hit when it aired in Israel, and now it’s streaming on Amazon and Hulu, leading a whole new demographic to discover its charms. Slate’s TV critic just called it “the best TV show of 2014” even though technically it’s six years old.
Srugim is a sweet and genuine take on what it’s like to be looking for love in Jerusalem, from the Friday night dinners with an exciting new person, to awkward flirting over or through the mehitzah. It’s the perfect show to check out on a lazy summer afternoon—especially if you’re fresh from a bad (or good) date.
