Bomb shelter dating: Israeli app turns safe rooms into matchmaking hubs

Bomb shelters are not where you’d expect to find romance. They’re cramped, fluorescent‑lit rooms full of strangers hoping the next siren won’t be followed by a direct hit. 

But as Israelis spend more time in these spaces during the war with Iran, one local startup is trying to turn that strange reality into a chance to meet someone new.

Hooked, a location-based dating app created by American immigrant to Israel Noa Barazani and her co‑founder Roi Revach, is bringing a touch of levity, and potential love, to bomb shelters across the country. The pair first developed the app while studying at Reichman University in Herzliya, initially targeting parties, conferences and large events.

The concept is simple: organizers place QR codes on the walls of venues, and singles scan them to see who else in the room is available and interested. Instead of guessing who might be single or risking an awkward rejection, users can discreetly check the app before making a move.

“We started it because we noticed that singles were going to so many events,” Barazani explains. “No one was actually meeting at these events, and the main reason for that is because people are really scared of rejection nowadays, and on top of that, you don't know who's single at these events. So, like, why would I go up to someone and make a move if I don't know if they're single?”

When wartime restrictions limited the number of people allowed to gather in public spaces, but not in designated bomb shelters, Barazani spotted an unconventional workaround. If large events were off‑limits, safe rooms could become the new social spaces.

“So basically, when the war broke out, I had this idea of why not bring some light and fun into this and put up QR codes in bomb shelters?” she says. “The idea was to make the bomb shelter kind of like a private event space and put up QR codes where people can get scanning and see who's single.”

The shift comes at a time when dating habits are already in flux. According to a 2023 poll by Pew Research, more than half of people under 30 have used a dating app at some point, yet only a small minority of those in committed relationships say they met their partner online. At the same time, recent studies suggest many members of Gen Z are deleting traditional swiping apps and gravitating back toward in‑person encounters.

Hooked positions itself at the intersection of these trends: it uses digital tools to lower the social stakes, but the goal is still a face‑to‑face interaction. “You don't even need to chat,” Barazani says. “If it's a mutual match, you're like, ‘Okay, they're interested. I'm interested. Let me go up and talk to them.’ So then you just meet in real life.”

Barazani is blunt about what she sees as the core challenge of modern dating. “You know, this generation's messed up,” she says. “Everyone's really afraid of rejection. Everyone's really afraid to make a first move. People just have to stop being afraid of making a move, and the way we're doing that is through Hooked. You already know who's single. You also know who's interested. Shoot your shot. You only got one chance.”

The app’s unusual wartime twist has quickly drawn attention on social media and beyond. Its bomb shelter deployment has gone viral for its ingenuity, even earning praise from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. It remains to be seen how many couples will trace their love story back to a QR code on a concrete wall. But for now, in a time of sirens and uncertainty, some Israelis are finding that a safe room might also be a place to take an emotional risk.