By Ellen Braunstein
The new interior of Makom Community was designed by Michael Zimmerman, an architect whose daughter Norah, 8, attends the Jewish after-school enrichment program in Philadelphia.
“Our design focused on creating a child-friendly environment that encouraged play and thoughtful learning,” said Zimmerman, 35, who owns Studio Zimm, an architecture and design firm he opened in 2020.
“The use of curves and a color scheme gives each room a unique design that interconnects beautifully. Walking into Makom is reminiscent of stepping into a rainbow,” Zimmerman said.
“Everyone is always learning, always changing, always developing and becoming. So we took that to heart with the way we designed the space. No matter where you are there’s always something different to see.”
Makom Community grew out of a venture supported by the Jewish entrepreneurial group Tribe 12. Carly Zimmerman, the managing director of Studio Zimm, serves on the board of Tribe 12.
Michael Zimmerman has volunteered for Makom, putting his construction skills to work building their sukkah. “My wife and I like to be part of the different aspects and activities of our daughter’s life,” he said. “We like to lend a hand when we can.
“We are looking forward to new opportunities for Makom now that they’re in a much larger space with more resources available to them.”
Zimmerman, who lives in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood, also teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.
Zimmerman’s specialty is the exterior and interior design of residences. He is the recipient of many design industry awards. His design interests lie in exploring architectural aesthetics in relation to other forms of design and art, including photography, fashion, film and sculpture. His work has been published and featured in many exhibits.
Of his current practice, he said: “We take pride in how closely we work with people to really create a vision that’s unique to them.”
Zimmerman grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and in Upper Dublin in the Fort Washington area. His parents, Jeri and Len Zimmerman, worked for organizations in the Philadelphia Jewish Community.
At one point his father worked for Israel Bonds. His mother has been the executive director of the Jewish Federation of Lehigh Valley since 2019. She was the founding director of the Center for Israel and Overseas for the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.
“Having a Jewish home life was super important to them,” said Zimmerman, who has four siblings. “I appreciated the time to be together, the intimacy of the singing and rituals.”
The family’s synagogue was Temple Sinai in Dresher. Zimmerman still attends for the High Holidays.
Zimmerman has visited Israel many times, often on family trips when he was younger. His mother traveled on behalf of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. They attended family b’nai mitzvot in Israel. “It was striking to be in a place that was primarily Jewish and catered to Jewish life,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman met his wife through Hillel at University of Pittsburgh, where he graduated in 2011. She was Hillel student president and he was the social justice chair. “That involvement allowed us to develop a friendship that eventually led to dating and the rest is history.”
He ran a sukkah design and building competition for two years on campus. “I started studying architecture at Pitt and it seemed like a natural fit to not only bring people together and run a fun event but also to showcase new and interesting designs for what a sukkah could be.”
As a designer, Zimmerman is learning about hiddur mitzvah, which means taking the time and making the effort to create or acquire ritual objects used in Jewish ceremonies.
Jewish values that he holds inform his life today. “I respect and care for family and community,” he said. “In Judaism, you always look out for your neighbor. We’re trying to focus on bringing these values into our home for our daughter.
“We’re working on fostering our own sense of community here as well, being involved in the Jewish community, in programs like Makom.”
Ellen Braunstein is a freelance writer.