Kerem House is a community led Jewish cultural space located in central Tel Aviv. Led by three partners and a robust steering committee, Kerem House provides the space, support and networks for activities that help young Tel Avivians make things happen. Kerem House has fed and hosted over 5,000 Israelis, Olim and visitors. Since its establishment, Kerem House has hosted over 300 + events such as Shabbat dinners, holiday meals and a variety of communal events. From the opening of Kerem House in June 2019 until the Corona pause, Kerem House hosted 226 events, or 0.81 events a day, in the Kerem House space. The Kerem House mission is to lower barriers of entry around event creation, to be a home for communal and Jewish activity in Tel Aviv, to weave networks, to support what is new and creative, and to maximize successes. Our programming and events engage participants through arts, culture, and Jewish experiences. Many people’s first engagement with Kerem House is through Shabbat dinner, at one of our regularly held pluralistic traditional Shabbat experiences. These dinners answer a need within the religious community and engage those who don’t typically participate in religious activities. Our meals have a pluralistic Jewish personality that reflects the diverse Jewish backgrounds of Kerem House leadership and the lives of our community. Kerem House is run by olim and native Israelis who know Tel Aviv’s magic and its challenges and care deeply about this city and infusing Jewish experiences in the lives of young Tel Avivians. Kerem House plans long term communal growth by making our area a better place. We do this by being active, being consistent and being a place to have a good time and make good friends. The Kerem House plan for the next year is to host 36+ Jewish activities, events, meals and Shabbatons along with independently organized community activities. Member-led events and activities are a key element of Kerem House programming. Most community members live locally and attend multiple events throughout the year. Along the way, and with Kerem House leaders’ support and encouragement, community members learn skills to independently organize events at the Kerem House and in the wider community. Kerem House supports potluck meals, classes, and meetups that further strengthen the desire for traditional Jewish culture as well as showing the relevance of Jewish values to daily life in Israel.
