Season 6 of Schmuckboys is back! Marla and Libby are back st it with somne exciting updates. Libby shares about fun upcoming travel plans, while Marla shares about getting back into the dating game.
For Episode 1 they are thrilled to bring on the newlywed queen herself, Elaine Chaya! She starts with updates on her name change plans and a birthday trip to New York for her husband, including a stop at the Portrait Bar at the Fifth Avenue Hotel.
Elaine tells the story of how she met her husband, Gersh, through Chabad of Upper East. She shares how they met years prior to dating, going into her belief that G-d doesn’t bring you to your partner until you’re both ready. She also talks about how they brought together Persian and Chabad wedding traditions into their ceremony, including dancing down the aisle, which Rabbi Yaya joined and went viral online.
The group then talks about Jewish identity and how Elaine’s has grown from her traditional Persian upbringing, including how keeping Shabbat became an anchor for her mental health and her dating life. They get into dating with a public social media presence, the six months she took off Instagram, and how social media has changed since she started, including the “Woke Up This Way Challenge.” Elaine also shares how becoming an Israel activist after October 7th changed her online community and the brands she could work with.
From there, they cover dating burnout, taking breaks, and not tying your worth to your relationship status. They also compare the Jewish scenes in New York and LA, and talk about why trusting G-d’s timeline matters more than comparing yourself to anyone else. The episode wraps with a rapid-fire round of dating and Jewish questions.
You can follow Elaine on Instagram @elainechaya and Schmuckboys @schmuckboysofficial, or send us your questions and stories at schmuckboys@jewishjournal.com.
