In the 21st century, Gratz College has become known for its online class offerings. Gratz’s two primary degree programs — a master’s degree in education and a Ph.D. distinction in Holocaust and genocide studies — were both offered mostly online even before the pandemic. (Today, both can be completed entirely online.)
Yet now, with the recent purchase of the Levering Mill Tribute House in Bala Cynwyd, the Jewish college is returning to the physical space.
Of course, Gratz never really left the physical space. Its campus on Old York Road is very much open, and the college frequently partners with Jewish organizations and other local institutions.
At the same time, this expansion to the Main Line will be an additional step outward.
According to Gratz officials, “The new Gratz campus will host public programming and serve as a cultural center and gathering space for Gratz’s constituents and neighbors.”
“In this post-pandemic period, we have seen a movement among Jewish organizations to take big bets on physical space,” Gratz President Zev Eleff said. “In Jewish communities such as Boston and Detroit, we have seen creative amalgam sites that coalesce Jewish learning with hospitality, Jewish gathering with coffee-drinking. We’re going to cultivate our own fresh model, in a way that fits the needs of our local community.”
The college will complete the purchase of the property this summer.
Rabbi Daniel Levitt, Gratz’s director of adult Jewish learning, will play a role in developing the space, according to Eleff. Levitt served as executive director of Hillel at Temple University for almost eight years before joining Gratz in June 2023.
At Temple, while working with students, Levitt saw that there was interest in Jewish texts again.
“People are interested in answers. There’s exploring without the boundaries of denominations,” he said.
“There were many years where Jewish education was not such a hot-button topic. The idea of seriously looking at Jewish texts if you weren’t practicing traditional Judaism…it was that’s for religious Jews. It’s not for me,” he added.
As Levitt explained, Judaism has the Torah, the Talmud and endless commentary. And people can talk about it in groups.
“Every time a Jewish student said to me after a meaningful conversation or a class on who knows what, why don’t we learn about this stuff in Hebrew school?” the rabbi said. “On a personal level, I spent lots of time doing traditional Jewish learning with my non-Orthodox college students. It inspired me to see the texts as much broader than I realized.”
“When you do that with a friend, when you do that with a small group, that becomes your community,” Levitt explained. “Intellectual heritage as a springboard for building relationships.”
Eleff compared Gratz’s Main Line vision to Lehrhaus in the Boston area, Manny’s in San Francisco and Platform 18 in the Detroit area.
Lehrhaus, according to a 2023 Boston Magazine article, is a kosher restaurant and cocktail bar with community space for classes and events. It also maintains a collection of more than 3,000 books.
Manny’s, per welcometomannys.com, is a community-focused meeting and learning place. It has a restaurant, political bookshop and event space.
Platform, according to chaiandbeyond.com, a strategic partner that helps secure funds, is the place in Detroit for Jewish millennials to work, hang out, relax, reenergize and eat better than bubbe’s food. It has an open floor plan.
“Instead of going to Starbucks, you can go somewhere Jewish. And then you happen to notice there’s an interesting class going on,” Levitt said of Gratz’s Main Line space. “You can come for a cup of coffee and a schmooze, or you can come for a class and a deep conversation, and it’s all part of making friends or expanding your network.”
Gratz and Levitt are unsure of specific details at this point. The rabbi mentioned that he’s talking to possible coffee vendors. He also said he’s working on getting rabbis, educators and intellectuals to speak.
“And I’m looking for people who see the value in a place like this who want to volunteer their time. Find the people who want to commit to making this community grow,” Levitt said. “I hope that this place becomes a physical center for people who are engaging in interesting ideas.”
