Tzibur

Tzibur Harlem is a grassroots Jewish community initiative in Central Harlem, New York City, co-founded by Rabbi Dimitry Ekshtut and Erica Frankel, a husband-and-wife team who have lived in the neighborhood for many years. The organization’s name comes from the Hebrew word Tzibur (ציבור), meaning both “community” and “public,” reflecting its dual mission of fostering intimate Jewish community while also engaging Harlem’s broader public life.

Tzibur offers programming that includes Fridays at Temple 5, a music-filled Shabbat dinner series, and Shalom Harlem, an initiative for families to celebrate and learn Jewish tradition together, alongside pop-up events, holiday gatherings, and intimate learning spaces. The group also organizes occasional Shabbat services and has played a visible civic role in the neighborhood, including helping bring a public Hanukkah menorah lighting to a local park’s holiday display.

Growing out of over a decade of relationship-based community organizing that began around 2014, Tzibur has expanded into a small staff serving Harlem’s resurgent Jewish population, which has grown significantly in recent years. The organization positions itself as part of a “new Jewish Urbanism” for the 21st century, aiming to be rooted in tradition while remaining welcoming and outward-facing toward its diverse Harlem neighbors.