Meet The Fierce Guru Behind The World’s First Jewish Dating App
Image by Forward Montage
Editor’s Note: In this series — Why Is This Interview Different From All Other Interviews — we will introduce you to pioneering Jewish leaders across a variety of industries.
Sonya Kreizman is the co-founder and CEO of JCrush. Her no-nonsense, pragmatic advice has been heralded by many critics, especially within the dating app scene. In a business where most “dating coaches” have a book and a couple of life experiences as credibility, Sonya is the only dating app CEO offering real time advice. As online dating and traditional dating quickly become part of the same fabric, Sonya’s words are proven more and more invaluable.
What big change have you made lately?
I moved to the West Village and have felt very inspired creatively by its neighborhood, people and overall vibe.
Is there a book or movie that you re-read or re-watch? Why?
I love to re-read plays by John Patrick Shanely, Anton Chekhov and Christopher Durang. Each time I re-read a play, it helps me better understand the human mind as well as learn from other characters’ mistakes in order to grow and become a better person. Two of my all time favorite movies to re-watch are the Mask and the Goodfellas.
Apart from brushing your teeth, what do you do 2 times daily?
Eat chocolate #sweettooth
What is a “hidden” aspiration that you have, i.e. something that you have postponed for later in life but you plan/aspire to one day get to?
I have finally gotten to pursuing my passion for acting. I’ve always been involved in production behind the camera but have recently decided to no longer keep my passion on the back burner. I’m currently studying at the Stella Adler conservatory as well as with several acting coaches in NYC, going on auditions and producing my own content.
If you could fully express gratitude to someone in your past who really made a difference in your life, who would it be?
It would have to be my distant relatives who are no longer around. They left the Soviet Union before the Russian Revolution in the early 1900’s and ran to Poland and later to Israel. After the fall of the USSR in the 90’s, they found my family and I living in Russia, flew to Russia and gave us an opportunity and option to immigrate to Israel or to the United States. I am very grateful to be living in the United States because of their efforts in finding their last Jewish cousins living in Russia and wanting a better life for us.
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