JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In a candid and emotional monologue on his program “Medabrim” on the Kol Hai radio station, host Yankele Friedman spotlighted one of the most painful issues facing the natonal religious and charedi communities: the plight of older singles struggling to find matches. Sharing what he described as a “tightness in the heart,” Friedman urged listeners to stop standing by. “We pass by the same person again and again, say ‘hello,’ and move on with our lives. How is it that we offer nothing?” he asked.

During the broadcast, listeners heard the stirring words of Rabbi Baruch Rosenblum, who recounted the story of a woman who became engaged at age 40 after 22 years of waiting. He described how the moment of joy turned into a painful rebuke directed at neighbors who arrived with cakes: “Twenty-two years, and not once did you suggest a match. Offer whatever you can, what difference does it make? Why sit quietly?” Rosenblum emphasized that proposals should not be dismissed prematurely as “unsuitable,” declaring firmly: “What seems most unsuitable to you often becomes the most successful match.”

Friedman also shared a deeply personal experience from his own attempts to suggest matches, describing a conversation with the father of an older single woman who broke down in tears simply upon hearing a proposal. “I felt overwhelmed,” Friedman admitted. “The father told me, ‘You made my month.’ All I did was suggest a match, nothing had even begun.” According to Friedman, the mere knowledge that “something is on the table” gives singles and their families breathing room and hope that they are still “in the story.”

The discussion raised broader questions about communal responsibility and mutual care. Friedman wondered how it is possible that every building or neighborhood has older singles, yet the public remains indifferent. “Just think a little, that’s the whole message,” he said. He reminded listeners that no one has insurance on the future: “What you would not want to happen to you, do something, even a little, for others.”

The central takeaway from the broadcast was that even a proposal that does not lead to marriage holds immense value. Rosenblum summarized this with an appeal to keep trying regardless of the outcome: “Even if it doesn’t work out , you’ve brought redemption closer. Act. Try.” Friedman closed by asking listeners to use even commercial breaks to think of a single match they might suggest for someone in need.