Yo, Yenta!
I met this woman online and we’ve been chatting like crazy for three weeks, on the computer at night and during work. We haven’t met yet, but I like her a lot. She’s divorced and has a ten year-old daughter. I’m not against dating a single mom, and I would like to have kids of my own someday. The thing is, the kids’ father is not Jewish and this woman seems ambivalent about bringing her daughter up in the Jewish tradition. It’s important to me to marry a member of the tribe, partly because I want my children to be Jewish. Should I be wary about starting a relationship with someone who doesn’t feel the same way?

-Famisht in Fort Lauderdale

Dear Famisht: In this day and age, honey, you should be wary of sitting on public toilet seats and eating tuna fish, not to mention looking for love in this meshugga world. That’s why online personals are so terrific; you can find out all kinds of things about someone before you decide to take it any further (unfortunately, this does not work for chronically bad breath or lisps.)

This woman has revealed something that may be an obstacle to living happily ever after with you, but before you start ignoring her IM’s you might dig a little deeper. Have you broached the topic honestly in your chats? Her ambivalence about her daughter’s Judaism could be due to the absence of a partner to share it with. If you like her enough to meet beyond the blue glow of the computer screen, explain to her why you want to have a Jewish family – the bar mitzvah blasts, the blessing of chopping apples for charoseth together at Rosh Hashanah, the chaotic Purim carnivals with two dozen little Hamans kicking you in the shins.

Maybe she’s into settling down with a nice Jewish boy to raise her family with, or maybe she’s just looking for a little nookie. You win either way, so go for it. But eat a mint first, for heaven’s sake.