Nowadays, there is a great awareness of the need to help others find their proper zivugim, and there are many varied shidduch initiatives toward that goal. Shidduchim are difficult enough for the typical population, but what about someone who is not typical, in some way? How can we help him/her find a shidduch as well? We spoke with Mrs. Tchia Kastor of Baltimore to hear about Orah V’Simchah, an international shidduch initiative that she founded, to help individuals with hearing loss find their bashert.
How/when did Orah V’Simcha start?
It started about 3 years ago out of a big need to help the deaf and hard of hearing community get married and set up Jewish homes, while at the same time, preventing intermarriage which, unfortunately, is a big issue these days among the broader population.
Who is involved in Orah V’Simcha?
We are a team of deaf and hard of hearing dedicated shadchanim who volunteer their time and efforts in order to deal with the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing community and help them to build Jewish homes. We are happy to help from the bottom of our hearts.
Have you seen successes?
So far, with Hashem’s help, we have had one successful shidduch as a result of our teamwork.
What are some of the challenges facing those who are hearing impaired when it comes to shidduchim, and how do you address them?
Even among those who are hearing impaired, there are different types of impairment and different forms of communication, such as sign language, oral language, lip reading, as well as different levels of education, Jewish and otherwise, that affect the choices of shidduchim.
We try to address each individual’s needs and goals, and we try as much as we can to help out each person.
Do you operate mostly in the United States?
We are an international organization. We actually operate mostly in Eretz Yisrael, but we do help people in the United States and Europe as well..
Do you have any interesting anecdotes to share?
As we are relatively new, we don’t have any particularly interesting stories. However, it is interesting to note, that in Eretz Yisrael, almost everyone has his own minhag and culture regarding shidduchim, so we have to learn to go with the flow with each person.
In addition, (unlike the situation in other shidduch circles), we have many more boys than girls, and would like to find different ways to identify more girls with whom to suggest shidduchim.
Sounds like wonderful work! May you have much hatzlachah in helping people find their bashert, build Yiddishe families, and have much orah v’simchah in their lives! How we contact you for more information?
Please contact me at orahsimcha613@gmail.com.
