What We Do

Go to Shabbat Prayers

Shabbat Prayers

Join us every Friday night at sundown (times in the calendar below) as we welcome in Shabbat, and new people, as a community. We also pray Shabbat/Saturday at 9:15am, with coffee and kiddush. We pray with a lot of spirit, singing, intentions, sharing, and dancing, and with a mechitza.

Go to Torah / Jewish Learning

Torah / Jewish Learning

Come engage with Jewish texts and wisdom that will speak to you and your life. Options range from Beisics of Judaism, G!d Salon, hands-on practices, and Chassidut — and we’re happy to find something for you
Go to Holiday Celebrations

Holiday Celebrations

Meaningful High Holyday prayers and meals, Hanukkah celebrations in the streets, rocking Passover Seders — you definitely want to spend Jewish holidays with us, especially if you’re new, or looking for something new. Next up: Yom Kippur! https://goo.gl/forms/uN7Vgtf0KD7S2mhz2
Go to Monthly Shabbatons

Monthly Shabbatons

Join us for our monthly Shabbatons – a community-building weekend of great people and soulful singing, engaging learning, delicious eating, musical havdala / jam sessions, FrED talks, and more!
Go to Bowl for Your Soul

Bowl for Your Soul

Fighting the flu? Catching a cold? Just went through a tough breakup? For whatever life throws at you, nothing helps you fight back like a bowl of chicken soup. Whenever you need it, sign up for some homemade chicken soup delivered to your door with love from your friends at The Beis.

Go to Shabbat Meals

Shabbat Meals

New to the Beis? New to the Heights? New to Shabbat? Come join us for a Shabbat meal! Most weeks we have lovely Shabbat hosts from our community who’d be happy to open a seat at their table for you – just let us know (by Thursday, preferably)!
Go to Coffee Dates

Coffee Dates

Want to find out more about the Beis Community? Want to get more involved in the Beis? Want to talk about your Jewish journey? Hart and others from our core team regularly meet 1-on-1 for coffee (or tea) at the local Starbucks or Buunni cafe, and would be happy to meet with you – just email/fb one below!

What We're About

The Beis is an intentional, inclusive, innovative Orthodox Jewish community that provides a home for people looking to explore their Judaism, to connect with others, and to be inspired.

The Beis Community was started in 2013 when a bunch of Jews living in a big city felt like their neighborhood should feel more like home. Maybe something with a little intimacy, intention, and spirit, more diversity, welcomeness, and inclusion, and values that reflected their own and would speak to a broader audience. And when people started coming, they realized they were onto something, that lots of people were also looking for that.

The Values of the Beis are
Creating a Home: Cultivating a welcoming community that actively invites Jews of all or no backgrounds to engage with Jewish life and Judaism
Spirituality: Infusing our lives with intention and Godliness through prayer, Torah study, and creativity that is innovative and renewed
Empowering Participation: Creating avenues for active participation to cultivate individuals' potentials and help us to realize the potential of our kehillah (community)
Human connection: People-centered focus with an emphasis on welcomeness, inclusivity, and connecting people

Who We Are

The Beis is brought to you through the dedication and love of a lot of people!
Here's some of our core team - feel free to reach out to them to talk or for coffee:

Francesco Di Maio

Oversees Men*s Programming and Space Force
Originally from a small island of Italy, Francesco is a convert to Orthodox Judaism, totally committed to Halakhah, Shabbat, kashrut, and 3-times daily prayer. He obtained a BA in Russian and Mandarin, an MS in Educational Linguistics at UPenn and now conducts marketing for Jewish non-profits. A widower, stranger, and “later-life” orphan, Francesco considers the Beis his sole family.

Naima Hirsch

Oversees Women*s Programming and Learning
Naima cares deeply about creating radically inclusive communities and bringing Jews of all stripes together to laugh, sing, and learn. She is a college student and sometimes-poet who also teaches Hebrew school. Naima loves dreaming and scheming about all things Jewish (and even some things that aren’t), so feel free to reach out to her, either online or at the Beis.

Chaya Itzkowitz

Oversees Holiday and Shabbaton Programming
Chaya runs a Religious school program and serves as Director of Youth Engagement at Scarsdale Synagogues, Event and Program coordinator for multiple non-profit organizations. She tries to provide for others that come into our space the comfort and connection she feels always in the Beis.

Nathaniel Moldoff

Oversees Fundraising, Mental Health, and Mindfulness
Nathaniel is passionate about creating welcoming Jewish spaces and helping people find meaning in community. He is currently a student at New York University, where he is working towards Masters degrees in Public Administration and Jewish Studies. Nathaniel has several years of experience in nonprofit marketing, finance, and fundraising.

Caleb Fischer

Associate Director
Caleb oversees the business and procedural matters of the Beis, coordinating the efforts of the Core Team, volunteers, and the Board regarding all matters essential to the Beis’ mission. He has an MA in Jewish history and works as an administrator for Yeshiva University during the day. As an “out of towner”, Caleb has a longstanding appreciation for the genuine and welcoming atmosphere the Beis brings to the Heights.

Hart Levine

Spiritual leader and Community Organizer
Hart works to bring Jewish people together, starting in college with Heart to Heart, and now professionally as part of OU NextGen. He loves meeting new people and inviting them to Shabbat, creating cool data visualizations using Googledocs, and tabling in the Heights with his wife Yael and twin sons. Feel free to reach out with any spiritual or organizational questions about the Beis, or if you want to come for Shabbat dinner!