Vision
We believe in a world where people feel their Judaism in their bones, where groups of seekers, deeply connected to one another across lines of difference, are dedicated to Torah, mitzvot and acts of kindness. Through prayer, learning and gathering opportunities, the Shtiebel strives to nourish spiritual growth and community connections across experiences and life stages.
Our Story
Our neighborhood where The Shtiebel gathers was once home to a vibrant and historic Jewish community. It had a Jewish population of 150,000 before World War II and supported more than 120 shuls and community organizations. Shtiebels, workshops, and corner groceries dotted the streets of row houses. Today, after many decades of suburbanization, a multi-generational South Philadelphia Jewish community is re-emerging — a recent population study of Greater Philadelphia showed that Philadelphia’s Jewish community in Center City/South Philly quadrupled from 2009 to 2019.
South Philadelphia’s Jewish community in particular, due to affordability and quality of life, is experiencing tremendous growth as young professionals, young families, and empty nesters move to its neighborhoods. The Shtiebel joins historic congregations with deep roots in the area, including the Little Shul and YPC Shari-Eli. With its energy in the neighborhood’s Jewish renewal, the Shtiebel is a center of spiritual gathering, providing Jewish ritual and learning that is content-rich, community-based, and integrates the whole person.
Our Team
The Shtiebel has the soul of a shul in the body of a start-up. We are a small paid staff, a core team of super-volunteers, and a registered 501c3 with a board.
We are constantly appreciative of all hands on deck, and there are many ways to be involved:
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Chabura (small group learning) facilitator
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Community Security Services (CSS), Shtiebel’s security team
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Greeter and/or Shtiebel Connector
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Kitchen Helpers, aka Shtiebeler Elves (Friday cooking crew and Saturday night cleaning crew)
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Rotating meal host
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Plant team to help our leafy friends
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Eruv checker
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Holiday-based teams, like Community Seder or Chanukah on the Avenue
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Kiddush/Event set-up and break-down
Interested in any of these entry points, or want to get involved in another way? Reach out to us to connect and get more information.
Our Rabbanit
Rabbanit Dasi Fruchter is the founder and spiritual leader of the South Philadelphia Shtiebel, a modern orthodox community in South Philadelphia. Rabbanit Fruchter also holds the position of Halachic Advisor for Women's Health and Halacha at Beth Sholom Congregation, where she once served as Assistant Spiritual Leader at Beth Sholom Congregation and Talmud Torah in Potomac, Maryland. Rabbanit Fruchter was ordained in 2016 by Yeshivat Maharat upon her completion of the Maharat Semikha Program. She graduated summa cum laude from the Macaulay Honors College at Queens College, and completed an M.P.A. in Non-Profit Administration and an M.A. in Jewish Studies from New York University's Wagner School of Public Service. She and her husband Daniel live in South Philadelphia and are so excited to be part of this growing and thriving community.
Visit
WE CAN'T WAIT TO WELCOME YOU!
We are located at 1321 South Juniper Street, Philadelphia PA 19147.
The main Shtiebel space is on the second floor (there is a single stair to enter the building and approximately 14 stairs to get to the second floor) and we have a chair lift for anyone who may need.
Our Zoom Room can be accessed by clicking here (PW: 522305).
Have questions about the neighborhood or about visiting for Shabbat? Email info@southphiladelphiashtiebel.org.
If you’re wondering, “But will I belong at the Shtiebel?” our answer is — we really hope so! We strive to be a radically inclusive modern orthodox shul. We welcome folks of all abilities, identities, backgrounds and Jewish experiences to be a part of the Shtiebel and help us build our spiritual home together. If you have any questions that you like answered in advance of your visit, or if you would like to be connected to a Shtiebel guide who can talk to you about our community, please do not hesitate to reach out!
We are proud to be part of the Welcoming Shul’s Project led by Eshel, an organization that envisions a world where Orthodox LGBTQ individuals can live out their lives in the Orthodox communities of their choice.
THE SHTIEBEL IN THE PRESS
By Emily Bobrow of the Wall Street Journal, 4/8/2022
By the Associated Press via YNet, 12/14/2021
By Jesse Bernstein of The Jewish Exponent, 7/24/2019
By Selah Maya Zieghelboim of the Jewish Exponent, 8/8/2018
By Michal Raucher of The Times of Israel, 12/19/2021
By Selah Maya Zieghelboim of the Jewish Exponent, 2/7/2019
By Alyssa Fisher of The Forward, 12/3/2018
By Julie Zauzmer of the Washington Post, 7/28/2018
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Today Show, 10/15/2018
By Daniel Schere of the Washington Jewish Week, 8/8/2018