BaBayit Jerusalem: A ‘third place’ for young olim in Israel’s capital

Everyone’s aliyah story is different, but the more new young olim (immigrants) I meet, the more I realize we have more in common than a shared desire to live as far away from our parents as possible.

A lot of us are struggling to find a community here in Israel. And this wasn’t one of the hardships that we were coached to expect, like the financial struggle and language barrier.

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If you move to Israel without a network or family connections and you’re still working on your Hebrew, there is no clear path to meaningful connections with other people.

“I think that one of the things I found the most challenging post-ulpan was trying to meet people and break into the community here,” Yona Davis, 23, told In Jerusalem. “It’s very, very overwhelming.” Davis made aliyah directly to Ulpan Etzion at the Beit Canada absorption center in Jerusalem in the summer of 2021, where she spent her first six months of aliyah.

The following winter, she moved from Beit Canada in Talpiot Mizrach to join the young religious Jewish community in the greater Baka/Rehavia/Katamon area.

“I went to ulpan. Ulpan was OK; it was a good experience. And then I moved into this community and my roommates were amazing, but they weren’t people that I knew before, and they weren’t people that were my age. I really found it very overwhelming to break into the community here.”

Finding a third place

There is a sociological term “third place” that refers to social settings that are neither home nor work (or school). The most common traditional example of a third place is a church. But in Israel, the social aspects of synagogue life that fulfilled that “third place” need for many of us do not exist in the same way.

Israeli synagogues rarely hold social events beyond holiday celebrations and simchas, and other third place options are tough to crack into without a strong command of Hebrew.

BaBayit Jerusalem is working to create not just a third place but a fourth, fifth, sixth and more for young English-speaking olim in Jerusalem.

The birth of an independent, grassroots organization

The organization began several years ago as a Bnei Akiva offshoot, with a house in Jerusalem where the residents would host events for young English speakers. During COVID, it morphed into an independent local grassroots organization with a dedicated group of volunteers, but no permanent home.

“It’s unique because it’s not an organization that’s funded by people sitting in New York or somewhere else, and it doesn’t answer to anybody,” explained Lazar Berman, a member of the BaBayit executive committee, who made aliyah 12 years ago and has been involved with BaBayit since its 2018 Bnei Akiva days.

“We are made up of people who live in the community, in Jerusalem, and we seek to answer the needs of the community,” Berman said, describing BaBayit’s modus operandi. “We are trying to make the lives of olim better, more social, richer. [We aim] to give [primarily English-speaking] olim that move to Jerusalem a sense of community here that they might be lacking. That might be weekly shiurim [classes], Shabbat programming, hikes,[or] lectures. We just had a big Super Bowl party last night.”

BaBayit has arranged large-scale events, such as its Summer Extravaganza, which was co-hosted with Nefesh B’Nefesh; and the Hanukkah Ball in December, which had the deputy mayor of Jerusalem in attendance. But the third place-ness is really found in the smaller events.

Berman himself initiated a series of artistic events in late January, beginning with a Guided Art Studio night on January 28, which hosted artists sharing the basics of a variety of visual art styles in a fun, casual setting. There was also a creative writing workshop in early February, and the organization plans to host an open mic night as well.

Community members speak out

“BaBayit events have helped me connect and meet with other young professional olim here in Jerusalem,” Ester Agishtein, 23, told The Jerusalem Post. Agishtein made aliyah in early 2021. Like Davis, she started at Beit Canada but then moved to Givat Shmuel to be closer to her hi-tech job in Tel Aviv. This past summer, she moved to Baka to take advantage of the social scene. It proved to be a complicated endeavor, but BaBayit made it significantly easier for her.

“Whether it’s movie nights, Super Bowl parties or political education events,” said Agishtein, “BaBayit enriches and builds community life. I’ve met a ton of friends, great people, and professional connections through BaBayit. It’s given a lot to me and my personal life, and I’m incredibly thankful for it.”

Davis has also attended several BaBayit events but was not as pleased. She felt that the events she attended were geared more toward the older end of the 20s and 30s crowd.

“A lot of the new olim who are coming are under 25,” she pointed out. “I’d just turned 22 two days before I moved here.”

BaBayit explicitly and exclusively creates programming for those aged 20-39 and, according to Berman, is about to begin a new initiative to appeal to those in their early to mid-20s.

The programming, aside from being social in nature, will focus on community organizing and fundraising, with the goal of eventually passing on the torch of BaBayit leadership.

“There is going to be a very specific effort to make sure that we are creating the next generation of leaders,” Berman said, “so that we can hand it off to them and know that it’s in good hands, and let them take it to even greater heights.”

Personally, I am looking forward to seeing what BaBayit Jerusalem has to offer in the future. I have enjoyed its past programs, particularly Shabbat and holiday services.

The strong framework that the BaBayit community has created for volunteers to start their own clubs, events and initiatives gives me hope that it can overcome whatever hiccups come its way. ❖

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