Our Community
An Inclusive Jewish Learning Experience
Makom Community is a Jewish enrichment center that creates family-centered Jewish experiences. We empower parents to build a Jewish life that is meaningful for their family. We welcome the excitement of children. And we strive to create an environment where it is safe for parents to learn alongside their children. We cultivate fluency and comfort in Jewish tradition through our joyful youth and family experiences. Not only is Makom Community a Jewish community committed to creating a more just world, we’re also committed to building a Jewish community that is open to anyone who wants to engage with Jewish traditions alongside their family.
Quick Facts about Makom Community
- Daily, High-Quality Jewish Education at the core of Afterschool Enrichment
- Children Ages 4-13 (Pre-K through 7th grade)
- 5th-7th Grade Students in Anafim as they journey toward BMitzvah
- Locations in Center City
- Project-Based and Child-Led Learning
- School’s Out Camps During School Closures (including Snow Days) and Perelman Jewish Day School Closures
Our Families
Our families live in and near Center City and South Philly. The diversity of each of our families adds to the richness of Makom Community, whether they are lifelong Philadelphians or new to the City of Brotherly Love, born Jews or Jews by choice, single-faith or interfaith families, straight-identified or LGBT-identified, with a pet goldfish or without a pet goldfish… well, you get the idea. We’re eager to include families with a variety of structures, shapes, and Jewish backgrounds.
Our Learners
The kids who are part of Jewish Enrichment go to a variety of schools in the Philadelphia area: public schools, charter schools, and several private schools. While at Makom Community, our learners make new friends and build lasting relationships with peers and role models while immersed in Jewish community. They investigate Jewish text in creative and innovative ways. Kids at Makom Community also get to play and explore LOTS of ways to immerse themselves in Jewish life while actively taking part in building the community they need.
Shabbat at Makom Community
| We create moments of quality family time on Shabbat in a multitude of ways. We make space to welcome in Shabbat with the kids each Friday. Our goal is to invite all parents and kids to interpret and transmit Jewish ideas to their families in a way that resonates for them. Additionally, throughout the year, we gather for Family Shabbat Celebrations on special Fridays. During Family Shabbat Celebrations, children get to see their parents learn a bit of what they explored during the week and then turn to their own child(ren) and say, “In our family, we see it like this…” These Friday night services are filled with ruach (energy), age-appropriate activities, and movement for children and adults. In case it’s helpful to any of the adults in your family, we always provide fully transliterated materials with any Hebrew prayers or singing. We want Shabbat at Makom to be accessible to our whole community. |
Visit our calendar to see when each of these fabulous celebrations are happening!
Our Commitment to our Earth
| Makom Community’s efforts to protect the environment are rooted in our brit (two way promise) with our learners who will inherit the Earth. What’s more, our Jewish tradition inspires us to protect the Earth. Our tradition asks us to live lightly on God’s good Earth, to serve and to protect it (Gen. 2:15), to minimize waste (bal tashchit / בל תשחית), to limit our impact and respect the Earth as God’s (Lev. 25 & Ps. 115:16). At Makom we are active citizens of environmental responsibility: |
- We use dishes for daily snack and have dishwashers in both locations.
- We use cloth towels for cleaning and hand washing, instead of paper towels.
- We prioritize recycled materials in our classroom projects.
Thank you to everyone who joined us last weekend for our Family Rosh Hashanah celebration with Moishe Pham- Young Families Pod! What a wonderful way to ring in the new year: learning, playing, shofar blowing, and quality time with our community. ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentComment on Facebook
What a joy!! The Moishe Pod PHL crew is so lucky to get to be in community with you!
To help us investigate the story of creation, our 1st-2nd grade learners kicked off Textploration by playing a drama game where learners started with a “mess” and then "created" different animals and had to embody them. ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
In honor of Rosh Hashanah, we asked our PreK-2nd grade learners what choices from this past year they're most proud of. They shared the following: joining a basketball team that has a really good attitude; giving putty to a friend who needed it; helping to take care of my baby sister; and getting the most points in class dojo. What are you proud of? ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook