Hanukkah Celebration 2023

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. Annabel leveraged her relationships with a number of Jewish organizations, including Hillel and the Gershman Y, to convene a group to discuss the needs of 20s/30s and seek solutions. This led to the founding of the Collaborative in 1998.   

The first Director, Richard Lee, was hired to build the project from scratch.  An initial gathering of 10-20 people grew to a mailing list of almost 1000 over the first five years.   In 2003, Ross Berkowitz became the second Director of the Collaborative. Annabel Lindy passed away in 2010.  Before she passed, she made it clear that she wanted her vision to continue. Her legacy: “Engaging young Jewish couples and singles, professionals, artists and graduate students in their 20s/30s in cutting edge programs stressing Judaism as a cultural and communal force in the Philadelphia area, and trailblazing the latest trends in the American secular and Jewish world and connecting young adults to each other and the Philadelphia community.”

Up to this point, The Collaborative received fiscal sponsorship from the JCCs of Philadelphia.  She gave her blessing to found an independent organization that would continue to champion her vision. Tribe 12 was founded as an independent 501c3 in 2010, with Phil Lindy, Annabel’s husband, as the founding President.