Publication: Boca Raton News, December 28, 2003
by Ashley Harrell
Jewish circle connects at Radius
Jews exchanged their yarmulkes for party hats Wednesday night at the annual Matzo ball at Club Radius in Boca. The unique Bar Mitzvahó-bar scene hybrid attracts nearly 2,500 Jews every Christmas Eve, according to Event Planner Joyce Fox, and this year was no different.
Thousands of Jews and even a few non-Jews got their groove on beneath hundreds of giant candy canes, streamers and a disco ball strewn from the ceiling.
Early in the night it was the electric slide crowd that dominated the dance floor, but as the witching hour approached, the 20-somethings filtered in for late night and partied until till 4 a.m.
While some people said they attended the Matzo Ball dance to participate in Jewish togetherness, others claimed the event was a great place to meet other singles.
“I’m looking for a hot Jewish guy with big Matzo Balls,” said Melissa Iachan, 23, nearly knocking herself off balance with the guffaw that followed. Another patron said he too was on the hunt.
“I want to meet a nice Jewish girl I can bring home to my parents,” said Boca Raton’s Matt Podolnick, but his knowing wink that followed suggested otherwise.
Podolnick also said he comes back every year because he knows his friends from high school will be in attendance, and that this year he was also surprised to run into some friends of his parents.
The older folks said they like traditional dances at the festivity and the ability to meet thousands of Jews on Christmas Eve, but the main reason they come back every year is because there’s no place else to go.
“There’s nothing else to do on Christmas,” said Brad Brody, 34. “It’s either this or Chinese food.” Out of town visitors have been known to frequent the Matzo Balls as Boca is one of eight cities to host the event, which began in New York 16 years ago.
In the years that the Matzo Ball has been in existence, coordinators say that over 1,000 marriages and thousands of friendships have been sparked, some that are even maintained over international boundaries.
“I’m here to capture the essence of Judaism in North America,” said a man visiting from Tel Aviv. “And I also like watching older men strike out.”
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