The Bender Foundation gave a first-time gift of $100,000 to the Den Collective, which will allow the organization to provide more programming for young Jewish adults in Washington, D.C.
The Den Collective offers Jewish experiences rooted in tradition in the D.C. area through one-on-one rabbinic relationships and customized learning opportunities, according to its website.
“This significant gift will enable the Den to expand our reach and deepen our impact as we continue to create intimate and intentional spaces of communal belonging, deep Jewish learning and meaningful self-exploration, where adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s can connect with a rabbi they can talk to, learn with and lean on,” Rabbi Aderet Drucker, the Den’s executive director, wrote in an email to the community.
The Bender Foundation, a private D.C.-based family foundation, made the gift in memory of Rabbi William Rudolph, who spent two decades at Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County and was described as “uniquely ahead of his time, aware of the ever-evolving needs of young adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.”
“Rabbi Rudolph understood that innovative Jewish organizations, like the Den, were needed in addition to other organizations in our communal ecosystem,” Drucker wrote, adding that philanthropic support helps the Den in its mission and place in the larger community.
The Den’s impact in 2024 includes 465 members attending more than 120 custom-made classes and gatherings, and Den rabbis holding more than 300 rabbinic emotional support and spiritual guidance sessions with community members navigating transitions, rising antisemitism, and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, according to the email.
The Den hosts holiday and community gatherings — including a mindfulness experience followed by Shabbat lunch — and learning workshops that incorporate the arts, such as an exploration of Jewish texts in preparation for Chanukah.
Community members of the Den have reflected on how necessary these “nourishing spaces” are in maintaining a strong Jewish identity, Drucker wrote.
“The Den Collective is deeply grateful to the Bender Foundation, its board members and staff, for their generous support, partnership, and valuable recognition of the mission of the Den,” Drucker wrote.
