Let’s face it, the odds are stacked against single people in this city. Especially women. I did a little research and found out that there are 149,219 more single women than men in the Big Apple. I’m not sure why exactly that is, but I bet someone will tell you that it has something to do with the people of this city’s passionate and competitive drive for success and the desire to ‘not settle’. New York is a wonderful, chaotic, diverse and awesome city. But the crowds, the continuous rush to ‘get somewhere’, the often lack of smiles from strangers, all these factors can make you feel lonely, and a little hopeless about the prospect of finding your one and only beshert among the many. And now that winter is fast approaching, the easiest solution is to hunker down on your couch with some popcorn and a good flick to wile away the days. But I say put that remote down and remember those Maccabees! They had their odds stacked against them too, and look what they were able to accomplish. They re-dedicated the temple, they made one jug of oil last eight days, they kept going even when reason should have told them to stop. Now, believe me, I know yours and my romantic woes is not the same as a bunch of Jews fighting Anti-Semites thousands of years ago, but it doesn’t mean we can’t take some inspiration from them. Or from the rituals that make up Hannukah. And now, I will commence in eking out whatever metaphors I can from these rituals, and apply them to dating. Here we go:

Latkes are an oily, fatty, mess of a meal, but they’re also damn good. Sometimes you just need to indulge in what pleases your belly and your senses and let everything else (like exercise) take care of itself. Don’t stop spinning those dreidels, they’re bound to land on a winner eventually, and in return he or she just might spin your own personal dreidel exactly right (if you know what I mean). So keep keeping on you single warriors of New York City, and have a happy hannukah, new years and the rest.