Neta, an Israeli parent whose name has been changed for anonymity, was hesitant when she first considered enrolling her daughter in a Jewish education program last year.
“I was very timid about sending our child to a Jewish program because I didn’t know what it would mean in terms of her Israel/political education,” she explained.
After much research into potential programs, Neta settled on Makom Community, a Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia-supported initiative that provides Jewish afterschool care and day camps during the summer.
Now, a year later, Neta knows she made the right choice for her daughter.
“Makom has been a perfect example of the kind of value-based, inclusive Judaism that I want to model for her,” she said. “This has probably been the most difficult year to do Jewish education in over half a century, and everyone at Makom went above and beyond to provide a safe and joyous space for the kids."
Makom means place in Hebrew, which is exactly what Founder Beverly Socher-Lerner sought to create a decade ago. Socher-Lerner wanted to offer a welcoming place that could adapt to parents’ and caretakers’ busy schedules and which made Jewish learning more accessible.
“By educating Jewish children and supporting their families, we are not only showing them the beauty of Jewish wisdom, but we are also adding their voices to the chain of tradition and continuing that chain for future generations,” noted Terri Soifer, Makom’s director of strategy.
At its current Center City location, which combined with Makom’s South Philadelphia location last fall, Makom cares for nearly 70 children throughout the year. Due to increasing enrollment, the initiative plans to launch a larger facility on Washington Avenue this fall. Aside from this main location, Makom also forms partnerships with synagogue Hebrew schools all over Greater Philadelphia, and offers a continuing teacher education program, all of which are fueled by Makom’s Jewish Placemaking pedagogy.
“Jewish Placemaking is an exploration of Jewish wisdom that invites the creation of the physical and relational spaces we need in community, by engaging with and challenging collected Jewish wisdom,” Makom Founder Socher-Lerner explained. “It encourages learners to ask big questions, find meaning in Jewish wisdom, and focus on the social-emotional skills Judaism teaches that connect them to their community.”
A fierce advocate of inclusion and innovative ways to foster Jewish identity, the Jewish Federation has been part of Makom’s journey since its third year.
“We are so grateful to the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia who saw that our unique pedagogy can shape the national field of Jewish education,” Socher-Lerner expressed. “In our first year of Jewish Federation funding, our program tripled.”
Last year, the Jewish Federation granted $162,000 to support Makom. This funding helped Makom to pilot the Jewish Placemaking Accelerator, an initiative supporting education directors and teachers at four Greater Philadelphia area congregations for a year, as well as allowing Makom to rent the larger building on Washington Avenue to accommodate the growing number of students.
“With the Jewish Federation’s support, we have continued to grow, reaching many families who aren’t otherwise accessing Jewish community,” Socher-Lerner said. “The Jewish Federation gives us more than funding, they provide guidance and support, from security to experienced lay leaders who have guided us.”
This security support was desperately needed on Dec. 5, 2023 when “Free Palestine” graffiti was discovered on the window on Makom’s Center City location. Immediately, the Jewish Federation’s partner organization, Secure Community Network (SCN), was there to respond to the security needs of Makom, process the incident through a national data system on antisemitism and promptly follow up to ensure the facility’s safety.
“Combating antisemitism on a local level is crucial to the security of the Greater Philadelphia Jewish community,” said Scott Kerns, SCN’s community security director for Greater Philadelphia who is planning to conduct an updated security assessment for Makom once they finish moving into their new Washington Avenue location. “These hateful incidents must be addressed swiftly and fully.”
In response to this incident, the Jewish Federation’s Jewish Federation Real Estate (JFRE) group offered an additional $20,000 from the JFRE Fund to address basic security needs at the new Washington Avenue building.
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To help the Jewish Federation continue to support Jewish education and summer programming for children, make a gift at jewishphilly.org/donate.