The Tivnu bayit: it’s your home base
Here, you’ll find the things that make a Shabbat dinner special. You’ll help your roommate feel appreciated. And you’ll reflect, with the help of your friends, on your skills and how to use them, your goals and how to achieve them. Because the first community you’ll build with us? It’s yours.
Meet the Tivnuniks
Our participants come from around the country and across the Jewish spectrum
A Jewish home for everyone
We celebrate diversity of all kinds — whoever you are, we’re glad you’re here
Mentorship that makes a difference
Substantive support for all the things you dream of doing
Best of the Bayit
Street music at Last Thursdays on Alberta Street
Wicked serves at Pips and Bounce ping-pong club
Hiking the Wildwood trail through Forest Park
Slice after slice at the neighborhood pizza crawl
Underground glow-in-the-dark pirate-themed mini-golf (seriously)
Bouldering at the giant rock-climbing gym
Saturday night trip to the haunted corn maze
Rosh haShanah in the woods
B'rachah (blessing) walk at Mt. Rainier
Building a sukkah with and ocean view at Camp Westwind
Purim parade with the punk rock marching band
Home-made ravioli on Co-Worker Shabbat
Mom’s recipe for Persian chicken and jeweled rice
Miso soup and stir-fry with Portland Hillel guests
10th Avenue Soup Night for the whole block
Hidden surprises like the Wishing Tree
Little Free Libraries and front-lawn poetry boxes
Bike to the combination coffee shop/bookstore
Keeping all your fingers while working the compound miter saw
Cooking a balanced meal for 20 friends (and cleaning up afterwards)
Gracefully discussing the dirty dishes with your housemates
Finding time for your laundry - and for yourself
Putting snow chains on the Tivnu van
Writing a short d’var Torah when it’s not even your B. Mitzvah
One-on-one check-ins with the RA
Taking one second of video, every day
Current events hot-takes during Wednesday lunch
Working it all out while you work out at the community gym
Late-night debate with your roommate about your internship and that great “Parks and Rec” episode
Frequently Asked Questions
Most Saturdays, Sundays, and weeknights will be free. We will sometimes have recreational events like hiking, pickling, or enjoying some aspect of Portland’s eclectic culture on Sundays.
Tivnu will provide transportation to participate in all scheduled program activities, or provide for rides on Portland’s excellent public transport system. Portland is also a very bike-friendly and walkable city; public transit is a great way to explore it, too. We ask that participants leave cars at home.
Everyone should be comfortable and well-fed at all our communal meals, regardless of allergies, medical or ethical diet, etc. Individual food requests are typically part of our weekly shopping budget. Our bayit kitchens also maintain a standard of kashrut that keeps us grounded in Jewish traditions of ethical eating and historical connection, and allows us to welcome all kinds of Jews into our dining room.
We want you to be the kind of Jew you want to be, and we want you to have a great time with it. Living among a broadly diverse group of Jews is what Tivnu’s commitment to pluralism is all about, and it’s the best way to learn about the spectrum of Jewish experience. We make sure you’ll have lots of opportunities to explore those options, from deeply traditional to wildly innovative. That’s true on holidays (when we won’t schedule internships) and Shabbat, which we’ll celebrate together every week. Want to connect with interesting synagogues, educators, rabbis, artists, and more? We’re here for that too.
Taking a gap year in the US can be as meaningful as doing one abroad.
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