By Rebecca Collins, Special to JTNews
Aaron Mass wanted to create a resource for local Jewish singles to get together in a comfortable, no-pressure atmosphere. While groups like Hillel at the University of Washington and Herzl-Ner Tamid’s Next Gen programs have their place, Mass had a different vision.
“From past experiences and discussions, I understood that most people are turned off by the traditional singles mix-up scene and prefer a less rigid and more laid-back atmosphere to meet others,” said Mass. “I saw a market potential for such an organization and solely went to work designing a group plan and agenda.”
Mass has an economics degree from Occidental College in Los Angeles and a post-baccalaureate in finance and accounting from the University of Washington. He currently works as a business and planning analyst for Boeing. Still, Mass, 25, found time this year to create the Seattle Jewish Singles Outdoors Group. The group’s Facebook page says its mission is “to provide a welcoming and fun environment for young Jewish singles in the Seattle area to come together for regular hikes and other outdoor events. “
Mass hopes that SJSOG will become one of the social organizations for young adult Jews in Seattle that includes Hillel’s Jconnect, JewSEA, the Ravenna Kibbutz, Temple Beth Am’s YABA and Temple De Hirsch Sinai’s The Tribe, though he plans to work with them as well. In fact, its board is made up of representatives from several of these organizations.
“I partner with these organizations to co-sponsor my group’s hikes to reach [other group’s] members and grow my club,” said Mass. “Seattle Jewish Singles Outdoors Group was designed to complement, not compete with the more established groups. I have tried hard to articulate this message.”
Bryan Levy, who runs JewSEA, the Jewish Social Experience Association met Mass through these local Jewish groups. Both share a passion for connecting young adults in the Seattle Jewish community.
“The Jewish Singles Outdoors Group is like an extension of JewSEA — a volunteer-run organization focused on improving the quality of opportunities for Jewish young adults to meet and do things together,” Levy said. “I am proud to be able to promote for the Jewish Singles Outdoor Group and happy to see Aaron take the same initiative we did a year and a half ago [with JewSEA] and just go for it.”
In October, Mass’s friend May Lee Chung joined as vice president of SJSOG.
“She has been instrumental in coming up with recruiting platforms, directing resources, and being my right-hand support,” he said.
“When Aaron was planning for events, I was able to offer suggestions so I volunteered to help with marketing and other small details,” said Chung. “Now that I am VP, I have been helping with reaching out to various organizations to get our name out there and also with some of the planning.”
Chung, a member of Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue and an accountant for the American Red Cross, says her roots are in the Northwest. She said she was very excited to hear about a Jewish group that focuses on being outdoors.
“I heard about the organization and wanted to become involved,” she said. “I wanted to have an opportunity to give back to the community and I thought this would be a good chance to do that.”
Members are typically age 22-35, gay or straight, and come from all over the greater Seattle area, but also hail from places like Cincinnati, San Diego, Rhode Island, Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, New York, and even Russia!
“We have close to 50 active members on Facebook … with the potential to reach upwards of 8,000 people,” said Mass. “Our marketing strategy has been to target large audiences through e-marketing with a specific message about the club’s activities, members and mission.”
Mass wanted to avoid traditional speed-dating formats that singles groups usually fall into. When the group first meets up at the beginning of hike, people introduce themselves and describe their interests. Once they get on the trail, Mass and Chung try to facilitate meaningful and light-hearted conversation within the group or with a few individuals at a time to make them feel more comfortable.
Once at the top of the mountain, they usually play some getting-to-know-you games — but nothing strictly related to being single. Socializing continues after the hike, generally as participants head out together for a bite to eat. People are encouraged to swap phone numbers or e-mails but nothing is forced.
“Having low-pressure opportunities to build a strong and engaged Jewish young adult community is what’s important,” Levy said. “The fact that SJSOG and JewSEA were both founded by volunteers rather than established organizations tells me it’s abundantly clear how important they are.… If only more people would be willing put in the effort, there’s no telling how vibrant our community could be in just a few short years.”
Both Mass and Levy anticipate steady membership growth and hope to eventually create several subgroups or focus areas within their broader goals. With the hope of a little financial support, Mass has high ambition for future activities including ski and snowboard trips, bowling and other events.
For more information, search “Seattle Jewish Singles Outdoors Group” on Facebook or e-mail seattlejewishsinglesoutdoors@gmail.com.
Rebecca Collins is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.