Are Shadchanim Causing The Shidduch Crisis?

When it came to shidduchim, Yehuda Lederman worried. His experiences with the shadchanim were starting to become a little too familiar. She would usher him inside, offering him coffee, water, or tea. He would decline. After a few minutes of stiff conversation in her living room, she would see him out. Over the next few days she would attempt a suggestion or two, never without warning the girls that this one was “on the quieter side.”

Yehuda would lay in his yeshiva bed at night with worries on his mind. Who would look past his shy exterior, and see him for who he really was– an intelligent and deeply caring boy who would do anything to ensure the security of his loved ones?

Then, a shadchan introduced him to Devorah. And something was different this time. Devorah was deep, warm, caring– she saw something in him that the other girls didn’t seem to see. Someone finally saw him for who he was.

When he popped the question, and she said yes, Yehuda was overjoyed. He couldn’t believe what a great catch he had been blessed with. But then, something beyond his control dampened his joy.

“As hard as I try, I can’t provide Devorah with the things that a kallah needs,” wrote Yehuda on a tear-jerking crowdfunding page. “Her parents have no money, and unfortunately, I have no father…We have almost nothing but each other. I don’t ask for much, just the basics…My kallah deserves to feel special just like every other kallah. Just because she is engaged to me, doesn’t mean that she should have to feel like she is missing anything.”

Yehuda Lederman currently works, but the boy doesn’t have enough savings to help pay for the wedding, let alone buy the basic things needed to set up a frum home. Without a father’s support, he is turning to donors for help. Those who wish to help him out can access his emergency fund here.