Welcome to the “first date” of Mars & Venus Go To Shul, the first Jewish dating blogcarnival that I’m aware of…next carnival should run the first week of February, so submit entries here.

Want to “chaperone” a “date” for M&VGTS? Email me and let me know…

You Don’t Look Like Your Profile (Online Dating)

P-Life, wearing his second blogging hat over at Orthodox Jewish Single Bloggers, talks about the defrumification of Frumster (full disclosure, he mentions my article from the Jewish Week) and proposes a “Frumster Lite” site for the “differently observant” (which was actually my term). Joe, a twentysomething SJM, is jumping back into the dating pool and has invited the world at large to join him as he creates a Jewish dating blogring. And Hilary at Superjux gives you a rundown of this week’s Jdate contenders. (Not that they’re really contenders. But you’ll see what I mean.)

Separate Seating (religious issues)

Nice Jewish Guy (who’s divorced and looking for love on Frumster) presents his take on the hotness of Tznius as he tries to figure out why he’s been leaning towards dating profiles of women who wear skirts and not pants; and then worries about whether his open-mindedness to both skirts and pants sends a confusing message to the women reading his profile. Draydel reflects on the experience of being single at Stern College and what it has to do with the shidduch (matchmaking) crisis.

What’s important in shidduchim (matchmaking)? How many kids you’d like to have? Whether you’ll cover your hair when you’re married? Or is it middos? Isn’t a person more than a sum of items on a list or resume? Sweet Rose deliberates. Annabel Lee wonders similarly—who is she, anyway? Is she her resume? That is a picture of a person she don’t know? (Verb agreement sacrificed here for a Chorus Line lyric.)

Mars and Venus (interactions with the opposite sex)

JDater Joe vents about a Kiddush-time interaction with a girl he had once been interested in., while Drew meanders through a discussion about what it’s like to live in the Heights among “so many young good-looking ladies.” JeruGuru goes through halakhic heartbreak, unwittingly opening himself to the criticism of others.

Apocrypha (miscellaneous)

In a long-lost post, Lyss talks about the Bad Jewish Girl in a post titled “Kosher Sex My Way.” And All My Ex-Boyfriends (which for me, would be an extremely short blog) writes about this friend she has who might want to be more. Or, he might be gay.

And, in a blatant case of editorial privilege, I’m including a link to my latest article in the Jewish Week’s Directions guide, which deals with the ever-so-topical “What to Expect When Your Friends Are Expecting.”

If you’ve enjoyed this premiere edition of M&VGTS, I encourage you to volunteer to host the next edition, the first week of February. Email me and let me know you’re interested. And don’t forget to submit your entries for the next edition: submissions due by January 30.

With good dating experiences and blog traffic for all…