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Social

Three Perfect First Dates

December 1, 2017 by Danielle Selber

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In my role as in-house matchmaker at Tribe 12, the #1 question I get asked is probably “is today a Jewish holiday?” A close second is definitely “where should I go on a first date?” So I’ve put together a “First Date Hacks” series, where I follow my three great first date guidelines — somewhat unconventional, not too pricey, low time commitment — to lead you to the date spots that best invite conversation and shared experience.

I’ve sprinkled in some super cheap dates, a couple classy ones, and best of all the ones that seem fancy but won’t break the bank. The full list surprisingly skews a bit Old City heavy (Old City, you sneaky devil you) but gives you decent selections for most parts of the city.

Here are my first three suggestions (with photos from our Instagram). Enjoy!

Pizzeria Beddia / Frankford Hall — start at 115 E. Girard Avenue (Fishtown)

Here’s a sure way to seem extremely cool without actually, you know, being that. Last year Bon Appetit Magazine named Pizzeria Beddia the “Best Pizza in America”, sending hoards of carb-hungry Philadelphians to this literal shack-in-the-wall. The owner, Joe Beddia, is as awesome and quirky a hipster as they come, so despite his success the place has no phone, is cash-only, has no bathroom, and only makes 40 pies a night. The hype has died down a bit, but there are still some acrobatics you have to go through to get a pie — so here’s what you’re going to do.

Around 4pm on any Wednesday through Saturday, you and your date will head to Beddia and get in the modest line which will have already formed. You’ll chat while you wait for it to open, and place your order around 5:45pm. It will take another two hours or so for your pie to be ready (yes, really), so you’ll head not even a block away to the indoor/outdoor beer garden Frankford Hall, where you’ll split a gigantic Bavarian pretzel as an appetizer and play some ping pong or board games. Then you’ll head back to Beddia to enjoy your pie on the stoop (or, if you’re very lucky, at one of the two tables inside) and declare with mouths full that yes, it was totally worth the wait.

You’re taking a bit of a risk with a long first date, but the payoff of seeming effortlessly in-the-know and having a uniquely Philly experience together is totally worth it.

 

Upstairs at North Bowl — 909 N. 2nd Street (Northern Liberties)

Lucky Strike is basically the redheaded stepchild of dating in Philly. Everyone suggests it because a bowling date seems alluringly “different” — something active! neon lighting! upscale atmosphere! — but let’s all be honest about how lame bowling actually is for a date. You’re literally taking turns walking ten feet away from each other.

So if you’re in the market for “something active” that also has the bonus of actual interaction, go to North Bowl — but don’t bowl. Head upstairs where they’ve got arcade games, air hockey, foosball, a full bar, and you can still order the tater tots North Bowl is so (rightly) famous for. Plus, it’s Israeli-owned, so there’s a built-in conversation topic for that first awkward pause.

Shakshuka: a bowl full of tomato sauce and eggs and green onions

Shakshuka brunch at Cafe Ole — 147 N. 3rd Street (Old City)

For a casual, no-pressure first date, head to Israeli-owned Cafe Ole and get the shakshuka, Israel’s quintessential tomatoey poached egg breakfast and a pair of “cafe hafuch”s, their delish riff on cappuccino. With Israeli realtors shouting into their phones all around you, a million hamsas hanging on the wall, and a sign that says “this place is not kosher” in Hebrew, you’ll feel like you’re on a date in Tel Aviv.  

More great date ideas are coming your way throughout the month. Happy dating!

Our in-house matchmaker is a nerd about love. As the only “non-profit matchmaker” in the country, Danielle blends traditional Jewish matchmaking with modern sensibilities. To meet up with her for coffee, email danielle@tribe12.org.

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Filed Under: Adulting, Cool Stuff, Dating, Philly, Social

What’s Your #TribeVibe ?

November 13, 2017 by Rachel Abramowitz

Looking for a home in Philly’s Jewish community? Our name, Tribe 12, is an homage to the twelve unique tribes who inhabited the land of ancient Israel, and by the same token we created Tribe 12 Tribes — volunteer-run communities bonded by a common interest or identity.

At Tribe 12 we truly believe there is a Jewish community for everyone. No matter the interest or affinity group, Tribe 12 Tribes provide a ton of different outlets for getting involved — and if we don’t have the community you’re seeking, we’ll help you build it! 

Take Lauren, an active member of our new Women’s Tribe. She said that she’s “been seeking a community where members can learn, exchange ideas, and support each other in a relaxing setting.” She was excited to find that at our events: “that’s exactly what I get from my Tribe!”

Right now, Tribe 12 has about a half dozen active Tribes, including an A Capella Group, Fantasy Football, Kickball, 30-Somethings, and a Women’s Tribe. These Tribes are constantly changing so there are always new events and groups popping up! Looking forward, we have volunteers ready to expand our Tribes collection to include a health-focused subgroup for our Women’s Tribe, a new 20-somethings Tribe, and a new Theater Tribe. We hope to get to 12 soon! #TribeGoals

Dave adds a sticker to the football draft board at a sports bar
Dave running the draft board at one our Fantasy Football drafts this year

Tribe 12 Tribes host events throughout the year – sometimes on a regular basis (monthly, for example) and sometimes with a bit more random scheduling. Be sure to check our community calendar, gobejewish.com, for all upcoming events, including Tribe events. Plus, you can browse our Tribes, sign up, or contact individual Tribes on our Tribes page. 

Our LGBTQ Tribe is currently our biggest and most active Tribe, with a bunch of different affinity groups popping up inside it! Right now, this includes a social community, a trans-rights community, and an education & volunteering community. Info about these communities and our LGBTQ Tribe in general can be found at tribe12.org/lgbtq. In fact, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s newsletter recently ran a feature on our LGBTQ Tribe!

Two young men leaning over a table with a rainbow flag on it. One is chatting and the other is adding his email to a list.
Ryan welcomes new LGBTQ Tribe members at Tribe 12’s table at Outfest earlier this month

Start Your Own Tribe!

Don’t see the perfect fit? The volunteers who run our Tribes are all graduates of the Tribe 12 Fellowship, an elite cohort of passion-driven people launching socially responsible business and projects. Through their four months in our Fellowship, some Fellows build businesses, non-profits, art installations, innovative projects… and sometimes they start Tribes!

Take Maryana and Igor, Tribe 12 regulars who didn’t feel like the happy hour scene was for them when they had a baby. They created the New Parent Tribe, a place to share Jewish experiences with other young parents.

Applications for the Tribe 12 Fellowship are open NOW through November 19th! Consider applying for the chance to build something you’re passionate about. You can learn more at tribe12.org/apply-today, and Tribe 12 staffers Rachel and Adam are always down for coffee or an after-work drink to discuss!

2017 Fellows candid laughing before their Pitch Night
Our 2017 Tribe 12 Fellows at their Pitch Night. Bring your idea to the next level and apply for our Fellowship today!

 

Filed Under: Cool Stuff, Culture, LGBTQ, Philly, Social, Tribes

Our Brand Launch Party, Beachadelphia, Was A Total Blast!

September 14, 2017 by Rachel Waxman

Tribe 12’s Beachadelphia Brand Launch Celebration was a success! Just about 150 people gathered at William Street Common in University City to celebrate Tribe 12 and the fact that fun and values CAN be on the same page. Check it out, we were even featured in this article talking about why we were celebrating!

About 10 people smiling together as they clink glasses in the middle of their circle
After almost two years of hard work, the Tribe 12 team toasts to all the great work we’ve done and all the great work still to come. (Only after we’d finished set up for Beachadelphia, though!)

 

Upon entering the venue on Thursday, guests were given some sweet new Tribe 12 swag and ushered into a full-blast Tribe 12-themed party! We featured decorative balloons, festive centerpieces, and a giant new Step-and-Repeat. Guests held onto the last of the summer beachy vibes while schmoozing over fried Oreos and frozen chocolate bananas, and enjoying boardwalk-style games and a caricature artist, Mr. David Perry. 

Yael Pachino staged our hella-awesome photobooth. Props included the priestly values chest plate, teal hamsas, and of course: our logo. The talented Greg the Balloon Guy helped to add some extra fun and color to these photos!

Five staff members pose for a picture with Tribe 12 props and party decorations
Tribe 12 staff poses at the Beachadelphia photobooth! (From left: Rachel W, Rachel A, Danielle, Ross, and Mara)

 

Three young professionals pose with teal props in front of a Tribe 12 step and repeat
Guests were invited to pick from our array of Tribe 12-themed photobooth props before posing for this shot.

 

A young woman and a young man smile together and hold up cards while standing in front of a Tribe 12 step and repeat
Lauren and Bernie, two Tribe 12 regulars, chose to pose with our new collectable values cards.

 

Between the photobooth and the boardwalk-themed activities and snacks, you’d think we were good to go… But for Beachadelphia, we pulled out all the stops! We asked our friends Jonathan and Jonathan from J2Food to design a signature blue drink, the Tribe 12 Blue Lagoon! (PS Definitely check out J2Food events and catering. Everything Jonathan and Jonathan make is the bomb dot com slash amazing, and they are Tribe 12 Fellows!)

 

Blue cocktail with an orange slice garnish sits on a wooden cocktail table
A big thank you to Social Impact Studios for helping to make all of this possible and for capturing J2Food’s signature cocktail in great lighting.

 

A cocktail table is decoarted with 12 colorful collectable cards, a teal hamsa, and sand-filled mason jars with cocktail umbrellas
Festive centerpieces featured our event hashtag, some beachy vibes, and our new Core Values collectable playing cards.

 

A shot through an open door looking into a crowded room decorated with string lights. Sign over the door says "William Street Common"
The view from inside the secret venue.

 

A collection of small red and white popcorn bags
We also got this savory treat from Nuts 2 You and handed them out as a giveaway!

 

We had a great time on Thursday, and feel very lucky because we kinda get to do this every month. We hope to see you on October 5 for First Thursday Happy Hour!

ICYMI: Check out this silly, heartwarming, Tribe 12-esque masterpiece. These are only a few Tribe 12 stories. We hope to make many many more!

Filed Under: Cool Stuff, Culture, Social

Hi, we’re Tribe 12!

June 29, 2017 by Danielle Selber

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Oh hey guys – we’re Tribe 12!

What does this mean for you? Simply that the programs you’ve known by a few different names — from our signature happy hours and social programming, to our LGBTQ community, our entrepreneurship and leadership programs, and our in-house matchmaking — are all now housed under one roof!

So what’s new here? Let me show you around the place….

Two men and two women all wear matching green vintage-style baseball shirts with the name "The Collaborative"
This sweet tee is now officially vintage

#1

We took this opportunity to totally upgrade our look and feel, with a shiny new website (you’re on it!) and a funky new logo. Don’t worry though — we’re still the same vibrant and welcoming Jewish organization we’ve always been… we just got a LOT hotter since high school.

#2

Under the hood of our website is a much better way to track what we’re up to. It’s going to be easy for us to tell what works and what doesn’t, so we can deliver better and more impactful programming than ever before (and as a non-profit, we’ll be able to tell donors what we do so we can keep doing it for a long time!)

#3

Soon, we’ll share more about a big new addition to our website — an online community calendar and resource that lists ALL the events (not just ours!) for Jewish 20s and 30s in Philly. Basically it’s like Uwishunu went on Birthright. We can’t wait to tell you more — stay tuned!

#4

This is all so new and exciting… let’s party! Save the evening of Thursday, September 7th for a huge celebration with hundreds of your BFFs-to-be plus Tribe 12 board members and alumni. To get in the spirit, check out some of the great work that led us here in the first place. And don’t forget to mark September 7th in your calendar!

From all of us at Tribe 12, thanks for hanging with us and cheers to what’s next!

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Filed Under: Cool Stuff, Professional, Social, Trends

Masks, Flasks and Illuminati Cookies: Things You Didn’t Know about the Frattiest Jewish Holiday

March 8, 2017 by Mara Swift

Purim celebrates a time when a government tried to kill the Jewish people. And they failed! So now we eat! And drink!

For those who copped a shluf during Hebrew school, see this in-depth, drunken history of Purim provided by our friends at A Very Awesome Purim. 

Have you ever thought about what the word Purim even means?

Purim (פורים) is the plural of “lot,” like lottery. Back in Persia, around 350 BCE, there was a different, less fun, kind of lottery. Haman, an advisor to the King, picked a day to kill all the Jews. But, it turned out that his lot was the unlucky one, as he was the one killed.

So how did this chag become the Jewish child of St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween?

We are supposed to be so !*!*HAPPY!*!* on Purim that we can’t tell the difference between Mordechai and Haman—or someone who exudes goodness and someone who exudes evil. How do we do this? We dress up! We drink a lot!

#lechaim.

And, why the heck do we eat triangle cookies?

We can pretend hamantashen have to do with the Illuminati pyramid, but there are plenty of other explanations for these delicious triangular treats. Keeping with Jewish tradition, the symbolism of the delicious hamantashen is up for debate.

Hamantashen (hay-mohn-tash-en) literally translates to Haman’s pockets, something that hints at Haman’s corrupt nature. Some say Haman had triangular ears that were cut off before he was hanged.  Mohn, is also Yiddish for poppy seeds—a traditional filling.

So make yourself some Purim Plans! Here’s what is going on in Philly:

Thursday, March 9th
Young Friends of NMAJH Purim Party

Friday, March 10th
Graduate Network’s Pre-Purim Shabbat
NextGen Shabbat in the City

Saturday, March 11th
Monte Carlo Purim Masquerade

Sunday, Mar 12th
Kaiserman JCC Purim Carnival

Filed Under: Culture, Jewish Wisdom, Social

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