{"id":358561,"date":"2026-09-28T06:28:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T06:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/358561\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T06:28:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T06:28:10","slug":"new-yorks-first-kibbutz-shabbat-dinners-draw-hundreds-of-young-jews-in-manhattan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/358561\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018New York\u2019s first kibbutz\u2019: Shabbat dinners draw hundreds of young Jews in Manhattan"},"content":{"rendered":"

In New York, a city where building a community can be difficult even among millions of people, a different kind of \u201ckibbutz\u201d has taken shape over the past two years. There are no fields or dairy barns, but there are Shabbat tables, challah, wine and hundreds of young Jews gathering to eat together, meet new people and feel part of a community.<\/p>\n

Kibbutz NYC, which founder Jake Wysotsky calls \u201cNew York\u2019s first kibbutz,\u201d began almost by accident about two years ago. Wysotsky, a 28-year-old Jewish chef, started hosting Shabbat dinners for friends at his home. Word spread, more people joined, then friends of friends, and what began as an intimate gathering steadily grew.<\/p>\n

\"\u05d7\u05dc\u05ea<\/a>\"\u05d7\u05dc\u05ea<\/p>\n

Challah at a Kibbutz NYC event <\/p>\n

(Photo: Courtesy of Kibbutz NYC)<\/p>\n

Today, more than 300 people attend the community\u2019s events each week, and thousands have taken part since it was founded in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat started with one person cooking dinner became a community sustained by the thousands of people who came to Kibbutz NYC and made it their own,\u201d Wysotsky said. \u201cThe community grew because people come back, bring their friends and take an active role in what happens here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The choice of the word \u201ckibbutz\u201d is more than a New York gimmick. Wysotsky grew up in the Reform movement in New Jersey and spent his summers at NJY Camps, one of the largest Jewish summer camp networks in the United States.<\/p>\n

At 18, he spent a gap year in Israel through Aardvark Israel, a Masa Israel Journey program combining volunteering, studies, Hebrew lessons and travel. Participants live in apartments in major Israeli cities, experiencing life in the country as part of the local routine rather than as tourists.<\/p>\n

\""\u05d4\u05e7\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05e5<\/a>\""\u05d4\u05e7\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05e5<\/p>\n

\u2018New York\u2019s first kibbutz\u2019 <\/p>\n

(Photo: Courtesy of Kibbutz NYC)<\/p>\n

\u201cThat year changed me. I gained the independence that allowed me to explore the things that interested me most, especially cooking,\u201d he said. \u201cMany of the dishes I serve today at Kibbutz NYC began back then in the apartment where I lived in Tel Aviv, including the shawarma that has become one of the community\u2019s favorite dishes.\u201d<\/p>\n

His connection to Israel remained after he returned to the United States, but after Oct. 7 it took on a different meaning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like I was just standing still. I couldn\u2019t focus on work, and I kept thinking, I\u2019m here in New York and not in Israel. What can I really do from here to make a difference?\u201d<\/p>\n

Together with several friends, Wysotsky organized a five-kilometer run in Central Park that drew about 400 Jewish runners and raised $20,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that moment, I realized I had the ability to bring people together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\""\u05d4\u05e7\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05e5<\/a>\""\u05d4\u05e7\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05e5<\/p>\n

A Kibbutz NYC event <\/p>\n

(Photo: Courtesy of Kibbutz NYC)<\/p>\n

\"\u05d0\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05e2<\/a>\"\u05d0\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05e2<\/p>\n

(Photo: Courtesy of Kibbutz NYC)<\/p>\n

From there, the idea for Kibbutz NYC began to take shape. When it came time to give the project a name, Wysotsky returned to an idea he had encountered in Israel. Not the historic kibbutz model of collective labor and communal living, but the principle behind it: people meeting regularly, eating together and building a community around themselves.<\/p>\n

That principle is also reflected in the details of the Shabbat dinners. Instead of waiters and bartenders, guests serve themselves from a buffet of kosher Israeli food and from the bar.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s intentional and illustrates the kibbutz-like character of the evening. We all share what is under the same roof, and above all, we serve one another,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

There is no single type of participant around the table either.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Kibbutz NYC community is very diverse, just like Israel. You can meet someone who won\u2019t touch their phone throughout Shabbat sitting next to someone who just posted a story from our falafel-eating contest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u05d0\u05e8\u05d5\u05d7\u05d4<\/a>\"\u05d0\u05e8\u05d5\u05d7\u05d4<\/p>\n

A meal at Kibbutz NYC <\/p>\n

(Photo: Courtesy of Kibbutz NYC)<\/p>\n

Some participants come after moving to New York and looking for a social circle. Others want to reconnect with Judaism, while some hope to find a relationship. For Wysotsky, that diversity is part of the point.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do everything we can so that no one feels they have a reason to give up the opportunity to come and experience Shabbat.\u201d<\/p>\n

That need, he said, has become especially pronounced since Oct. 7, amid events in Israel and the atmosphere experienced by many Jews in New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople need a place where they can simply come and feel that they belong. Kibbutz NYC gives people a place to be Jewish without apologizing, to celebrate, connect and be surrounded by people who understand them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the circumstances in which the community grew, Wysotsky stresses that he does not want it to become a political arena. His goal, he says, is simpler: to create a space where anyone can arrive without having to explain their identity and find others looking for the same sense of belonging.<\/p>\n

The connection to Israel that began long before Kibbutz NYC was founded continues today. Wysotsky now works in content and recruitment at Masa Israel Journey and recently participated in one of the organization\u2019s influencer delegations to Israel, while continuing to lead Kibbutz NYC.<\/p>\n

The community model he encountered in Israel has ultimately taken on a New York version of its own.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven five or 20 years from now, I want that feeling to remain,\u201d Wysotsky said. \u201cNo matter who you are or where you came from, there will always be a place for you at our table.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In New York, a city where building a community can be difficult even among millions of people, a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":358562,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[75,84,83,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-358561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-manhattan","tag-manhattan","tag-manhattan-headlines","tag-manhattan-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=358561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358561\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/358562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}