From my experience, it’s very rare to find a really compatible boy-girl pair who become (and stay) good friends without either one of them feeling any sexual tension. I’ve seen them *claim* it’s platonic, but one of them is always lying, and usually knows it (or figures it out fairly quickly).

PS: In a moment of painful honesty, allow me to point out that even in the MO world, there are still a few poor schlubs like me who spent their entire childhood and adolescence in separate schools and first encountered boys when it was time to start dating. So it comes as no surprise to me that there should be a shidduch crisis. And that, my friends, is my self-analysis for the night. I think I’m gonna go and hide under my lilypad now… :)

You said things about having the opportunity to talk to someone of the opposite sex who isn’t a relative but that is taking it to the extreme because to begin with I’m not talking about such a divided community.

Look, maybe I’m totally wrong and people are moving beyond friendship when they feel potential. But if I am right, and people aren’t giving each other enough chances, do you have any other solutions in mind to remedy that?

Vera…. I hope we can survive this! :) (Let’s make sure to discuss smilies at our next meeting. Very important for the good of the site.)

Oh, and what’s BA?

OMG, Deena and I are disagreeing – can habitza.com handle this? Only time will tell. ):::(‘…: (sorry, can’t get the hang of these smileys..)

Incidentally, I know plenty of couples who started off as friends and/or “intermarried” within the Katamon (or Givat Shmuel) incubator. Or how about an even better example – how many dati-leumi couples do you know who met in Bnei Akiva (assuming you know ppl who grew up here and not just Chutznikim)?

Sorry Deena, but I’m gonna have to disagree this time. No hard feelings? ;)