jerusalem | Widowed for nine years, 64-year-old Sophie decided it was time for a male companion.
So she donned a black, low-cut dress to tape a segment for Clicka, Israel’s new, 24-hour cable TV dating channel — the latest high-tech version of the traditional Jewish matchmaker.
Clicking for love from home has its attractions, particularly in a country where nightspots have been hit by suicide bombers in nearly four years of violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
Clicka, which will begin broadcasting this month, faces tough competition for the attention of single Israelis, who comprise about 1.2 million of Israel’s population of 6.6 million.
The Internet is jammed with Jewish dating services, most newspapers run personals’ and one Israeli TV station broadcasts a weekly dating show.
Israeli culture places great emphasis on family, and the unattached are under a lot of pressure from parents and friends to get married.
So far, several hundred people have asked to appear on the broadcasts, said channel manager Rakefet Arieli. Applicants have one-on-one conversations with a host, lasting up to three minutes, to tell viewers about themselves and what they are looking for. The segments are taped for later broadcast, with contact information flashing on the screen.
Sophie, the widow, was very specific.
“I like a stable man,’ Sophie told the Clicka host. “I have no patience for fools.’
Her last name was not given in the segment provided in advance by the channel.
The station promises to check applications and yank off the air anyone who has provided false information.
Britain has a similar service, called The Dating Channel, on Sky Digital, but Arieli said the Israeli version will not be available to a general audience, allowing those looking for love in the Holy Land greater privacy.
In the trial period, the service is free. But by August, customers will have to pay $10 a month to find the perfect companion.
The broadcasts are in Hebrew, even though large population groups in Israel speak Arabic, Russian and Amharic. “If there is a demand, we might consider other languages,’ Arieli said.
Programming is split into age groups and education levels. At 8 a.m. those seeking a partner with more than 12 years of education are welcome. By 8:30 in the morning, the programs are for those looking for someone with less than 12 years of schooling.
Soft music, a pink backdrop and pictures of single men and women fill the spots between programs. Dating tips — from fashion to conversation topics — are offered by experts.
“A man is like a bus: One leaves, there’s always another one,’ according to a piece of advice dancing across the screen.
An “interactive environment’ allows viewers to carry out a personal search in the station’s database and download the entire list of available men and women. Couch potatoes can send TV screen messages to other viewers with a click of the remote.
But even if searching for love on cable TV may be new, the traits people seek in a partner appear to be as old as time.
Richard Artell, 25, wants someone sensitive and interested in children.
“I’m a little embarrassed,’ he said
as he filled out forms for the show.
“But because of work and school I have little time … and I’ve had enough of games.
“One of the most important things in the relationship should be looking each other in the eye without talking,’ he said in an interview, giggling nervously.