Hakhel Grows Jewish Intentional Community Program with 7 CA Locations

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Jewish Journal Staff

November 21, 2019

Leaders of Jewish Intentional communities working together and learning from each other at Hakhel’s 6th Jewish Intentional Communities Conference. Photo courtesy of Hakhel

Hakhel, the Jewish Intentional Communities Incubator which engages millennial Jews with their heritage, has added 27 new communities around the world and in the United States including seven new communities in California.

New communities have also been added in Massachusetts, Colorado, Nevada, New York and Georgia.

The Jewish Intentional Communities were created for those who live in proximity to each other. These groups also have a long-term vision for the community they seek to create; are rooted in Jewish life, to whatever extent they are comfortable; and meet together on a regular basis with the intention of reaching a wider group of people and having on impact in the world at large.

According to a recent survey commissioned by Hakhel and conducted by the Do-Et Institute in Israel, young people are disengaged with traditional Jewish communal organizations like synagogue and community centers.

Hakhel hopes that the spaces they are creating by the organization can meet the needs of Jewish millennials for years to come.

“The plethora of these new communities joining the Hakhel network shows that our formula for engaging millennials is working and taking root for Jews throughout the world,” Hakhel Founder and General Director Aharon Ariel Lavi said in a statement provided to the Journal. “This is another sign that millennials are looking for a different solution when it comes to their religious experience. If we are innovative in our approach it can have a meaningful impact for generations.”

These communities have been established with Aishlit Los Angeles; Career Up Now Community; Career Up Now Los Angeles; Mamash in San Diego; Career Up Now Palo Alto; Career Up Now San Francisco and East Bay – Hakehila in Berkley.

These communities will receive professional support from Hakhel over the next three years to develop their community by increasing participation, fundraising, branding, programming, education or any other aspect of their Jewish growth.

Founded in 2014, Hakhel is the first and largest global incubator for Jewish intentional communities. Hakhel operates in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs

“The State of Israel understands its obligation to help diaspora communities grow in their connection to Judaism and our homeland,” said Dvir Kahana, Director General of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. “We support the work of Hakhel and its programming with intentional communities around the world because we have seen the wonderful results of more engaged Jews, particularly millennials, as a result of that great work.”