Jewish third spaces in the spotlight this week
From the JCC to stores that explain Judaica
When the ‘Jewish third spaces’ we once took for granted require an extra layer of security protection: Phoebe Maltz Bovy on outreach in times of terror
This weekend I went to my daughter’s dance recital at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre in downtown Toronto. It’s a building I know reasonably well, from fitness classes and such over the years—but I hadn’t been inside since Oct. 7….
Communal Jewish spaces are disappearing. What’s taking their place?
When Israel’s Judaica Centre, a prominent retailer in the Toronto area, announced it was closing after 42 years, it felt like another moment in an unfortunately increasing trend: the decline of Jewish “third spaces”, places beyond the home and office where Jews feel comfortable and welcome. Synagogues are closing and merging; community centres are broadening to welcome non-Jewish community members; now retailers are feeling pressure from Amazon and Etsy luring away their customers. Meanwhile, the type of engaged Jew who might visit these third spaces is on the decline, while younger generations are ever-more socially isolated, spending more time online.
What are we losing when these spaces disappear? And what will take their place? To navigate the topic, we invited on Elise Kayfetz, the founder of Vintage Schmatta, a pop-up vintage fashion store in Toronto’s Kensington Market, which taps into her Jewish heritage—and transformed her living room into an unexpected Jewish third space in the city.
Israel’s Judaica Centre closed its doors after 42 years in Toronto due to a retail climate that makes it difficult for a small store to survive
