Next Dor: Creating Community and Culture for Jewish Young Adults in the City of St. Louis
Some time during early 2009, Rabbi Susan Talve of the Central Reform Congregation approached me about an idea she had. Some time ago, the congregation had purchased a house in the adjacent lot with plans of expanding. The house was used on and off for a while, but fell into a state of disrepair.
Rabbi Talve had heard about the work that Moishe House was doing and thought that this community of Jewish young adults, which had been organizing itself, could be aided by a larger and more permanent structure which could serve as the home base for activity.
She asked us to put together a proposal and so, together with nine other friends, which included both native St. Louisans, and transients, young professionals, graduate students, and artists, we put together an idea for a post-denomenational, non-institutional space in which community could flourish. In this space, we envision Shabbat dinners, yoga and cooking classes, discussions with local community, business, and political leaders, meetings, and cultural events. We hope the space will host artists, musicians, and help to facilitate relationships, mentorship, and community building. Any young adult will be able to reserve the space for personal, small group, or organizational use.
Rabbi Talve had heard about the work that Moishe House was doing and thought that this community of Jewish young adults, which had been organizing itself, could be aided by a larger and more permanent structure which could serve as the home base for activity.
She asked us to put together a proposal and so, together with nine other friends, which included both native St. Louisans, and transients, young professionals, graduate students, and artists, we put together an idea for a post-denomenational, non-institutional space in which community could flourish. In this space, we envision Shabbat dinners, yoga and cooking classes, discussions with local community, business, and political leaders, meetings, and cultural events. We hope the space will host artists, musicians, and help to facilitate relationships, mentorship, and community building. Any young adult will be able to reserve the space for personal, small group, or organizational use.
Both the young adults and Rabbi Talve, as well as the leadership of Central Reform, agreed that this project would be for and by the young adults and would have no institutional connection to the congregation. This point is important both because of the traditional territoriality that often plagues Jewish institutions who are seen as fighting over membership in a zero-sum game, as well as because it allows Next Dor to create a totally unique model uninfluenced by the position of a single institution. That said, the congregation has been instrumental in helping us get off the ground.
The Proposal was submitted to Synagogue 3000's Next Dor program (from whence the name originated), who awarded the newly minted project a sizable start-up grant. Noted St. Louis Philanthropist, Michael Staenberg, jumped on board to help us fund-raise, going as far as putting his contractors on the job. Next Dor STL, originally incorporated as a registered Missouri Non-Profit, has also received funding from the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, the Kranzberg Family Foundation, as well as a number of other sources.
The Next Dor board attained 501(c)3 status is 2011, and is focused on building a sustainable social entrepreneurship model.
As a result of my work with Next Dor, I was accepted into the PresenTense 2010 Summer Institute as a fellow to spend an intense 6 weeks in Israel focusing on the project and was also subsequently accepting into ROI in 2011.
To learn more about Next Dor STL, please visit the website or facebook page
The Proposal was submitted to Synagogue 3000's Next Dor program (from whence the name originated), who awarded the newly minted project a sizable start-up grant. Noted St. Louis Philanthropist, Michael Staenberg, jumped on board to help us fund-raise, going as far as putting his contractors on the job. Next Dor STL, originally incorporated as a registered Missouri Non-Profit, has also received funding from the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, the Kranzberg Family Foundation, as well as a number of other sources.
The Next Dor board attained 501(c)3 status is 2011, and is focused on building a sustainable social entrepreneurship model.
As a result of my work with Next Dor, I was accepted into the PresenTense 2010 Summer Institute as a fellow to spend an intense 6 weeks in Israel focusing on the project and was also subsequently accepting into ROI in 2011.
To learn more about Next Dor STL, please visit the website or facebook page