Mission
Tribe 12 connects people in their 20s/30s to Jewish life and community in Philadelphia today so they will choose to stay connected tomorrow.
Our Values
Our Story
Something troubled Annabel Lindy.
Annabel and her husband, Phil, were happy. Phil had business success and was known as a kind and fair leader. They were both active Jewish community members. They were generous philanthropists. They raised three great kids.
Yet despite making Judaism a central part of her family’s upbringing, Annabel watched all three of her children reach adulthood without finding meaningful connections with Jewish institutions. She saw a generation emerging of adults who were now too old for Jewish college life like Hillel, but not yet ready to get married and enter the family-centered synagogue world. The question nagged her:
What happens to one’s Judaism between college and marriage?
Annabel's Answer
In the last two decades, this 20s/30s population has become a major target population for myriad national and local efforts. But in 1998, Annabel was the only one talking about this demographic. She convened a group and formed what at the time was called ‘The Collaborative’ -- a consortium of Jewish organizations in Philadelphia who would reach out to unaffiliated 20s/30s.
An initial gathering of 10 people grew to a mailing list of 1,000 over the first five years, with social events, interest groups, and original programming peppering the calendar. She pushed the consortium to trendspot and trailblaze, to respond to the true needs of 20s/30s where Jewish connection became an added bonus.
When Annabel passed in 2010, she gave her blessing to found and endow an independent organization, Tribe 12, with her husband Phil as the founding President. Today, Tribe 12 engages over 4,000 people a year in its virtual and in person offerings.
Funders
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