It’s a familiar story. A Modern Orthodox teen embarks for college on a secular campus with Jewish life—places like Rutgers, Binghamton or Penn—and seeks a similar community to join upon graduation. Most of these graduates default to the Upper West Side of Manhattan, known for its large cohort of single young professionals. But are there other options? And do these college students even know about the other options?

That’s where Washington Heights comes in: Offering many similar amenities to the Upper West Side, the community is not just for recent Yeshiva University graduates or long-established families. In fact, over the course of the past several decades, Mount Sinai Jewish Center in Washington Heights has become a haven for young professionals, many of whom have taken leadership initiative and made the community their own. And now, MSJC is looking to capitalize on its growing membership with a shabbaton exclusively for college seniors from secular campuses across the country, who are facing a big decision on where to go upon graduation.

“While we have a broad population, a lot of it is historically and continues to be made up of young singles,” said MSJC’s Rabbi Yaakov Taubes. Rabbi Taubes came to lead MSJC over five years ago after serving as the Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (OU-JLIC) educator at the University of Pennsylvania.

“I know from my time on campus [at Penn] that the Jewish communities are run by the students themselves,” Rabbi Taubes explained. “They’re very empowered to take leadership roles, because no one else will run these things. In that sense, Mount Sinai is the same way—we have people join our shul and within less than a year, they’re on the board or they’re leading something. That’s the type of community we are.”

According to Evan Finkelstein, board trustee and co-chair of MSJC’s welcoming committee, the synagogue has been enabled to showcase its offerings at this upcoming shabbaton thanks to a generous donation. “The idea has come up in the past, as early as 10 years ago, and now we can finally make it happen,” he said.

Finkelstein echoed Rabbi Taubes’ sentiment that the shul bears a lot of similarities to a secular college campus. “It’s a natural next step for many people. It’s the kind of community where people can continue to be leaders and engage in the programming that they’ve had on campus,” said Finkelstein, adding that he himself loves Washington Heights for the same reason.

Gilad Kopelman, president of MSJC’s board, explained that Manhattan has always been a magnet for a large contingent of graduates, and years ago, Washington Heights remained a consideration for many of those coming from secular campuses. “For some reason, during the COVID pandemic, the movement shifted away from the Heights,” Kopelman said. “What we’re trying to do is shake it up again and showcase Mount Sinai as a good place for people to gravitate towards after graduating.”

All three noted the benefits of choosing a neighborhood like Washington Heights: affordable housing, easy access to public transportation and, of course, proximity to amenities such as kosher restaurants and a warm, welcoming shul. And for single members, there are plenty of other singles to meet, whether to date or to establish new, lasting friendships.

“In other shuls, and in other communities, the memberships are made up of families and other well-established people who have been there a long time. A recent graduate who is moving to another neighborhood can only hope that those members make room for them when they join,” said Rabbi Taubes. “At Mount Sinai, it’s not just that the recent graduates and young professionals participate—it’s that they lead and grow the community. They make the community, and that’s who we are historically.”

Kopelman emphasized that this dynamic makes MSJC feel like a grassroots-led community. “The board is composed of young people, and it’s not centered on who’s been giving the most checks. We are democratized, and I think that’s very attractive to people.” Similarly, he noted that the community has an “out-of-town feel,” with shul-wide Shabbat meals and other communal events that foster belonging. “The people are very friendly … we all know each other and get along very well.”

“You don’t have to be a certain age or a certain type of person in order to be leading things at your shul,” added Finkelstein, noting that many assume gender and marital status would prohibit them from active participation. “We want all of our members, including our young singles, to be fully leading and fully participating at Mount Sinai.”

The shabbaton, which will take place during most colleges’ spring break in late March, is an effort to show current college seniors all of these positive qualities of both the shul and the Washington Heights community. “[Attendees] can expect to meet other like-minded people who are considering where they should put down roots after graduation,” said Kopelman. “Hopefully, they get a good feel for the community through all of the interesting programming we plan to have over the weekend.”

Attendees of the shabbaton will of course participate in the regular MSJC minyanim and other Shabbat programming, in addition to a fully catered Shabbat dinner and mix-it-up Shabbat lunches at MSJC’s members’ homes. “They’ll be able to meet plenty of people and see various apartment buildings, and this way they can see all the different elements of our community, including the types of people who live here and the housing that’s available,” Finkelstein explained. “By doing so, we hope that they’ll realize that we really value people in their 20s who take on active leadership roles, and that Mount Sinai is a place that they can come to be full members of the community.”

Rabbi Taubes is hopeful that the shabbaton captures the essence of the Mount Sinai Jewish Center community: a place where creating Jewish life is of utmost importance. “For those who take their Jewish community seriously on campus and want to continue doing that—this is the best place.”

Mount Sinai Jewish Center’s College Senior Shabbaton will take place March 21-22 in Washington Heights. For more information, or to register, visit mtsinaishul.com/form/cs-shabbaton. Registration closes March 16.

Channa Fischer is digital editor of The Jewish Link and resides in Washington Heights.