About Third Space
A hub for meaningful engagement and community, grounded in Jewish culture, wisdom, and learning.
Third Space at Shaarei Tfiloh
We are about relationships and learning, and nurturing the two together.
Third Space is a place for meaningful community building, both local and Jewish. We intend it to be a container for creativity, collaboration, exploration, and discovery. We are committed to the vision of being shaarei – gateways in Hebrew – a hub for learning, connecting, and growing together. Whether it be in lectures, classes, workshops, musical concerts and performances, or other hands-on experiences, we will embrace curiosity, open-mindedness, and deep care. We hope those who come to Third Space will share these values and help us build something sacred together.
Third Space welcomes and celebrates the full tapestry of Jewish identities. It values diversity of thought, perspectives and backgrounds. It is a place we want to make sure each person who joins us will feel welcomed, seen, and accepted.
To transform a building into a home, you need the right people. The same is true for Third Space.
What is a “Third Space”?
The concept of “Third Space” or “Third Place” was developed by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in the early 1990s.
The idea is built on the notion that a healthy society depends on three places where people build relationships: one’s private space (home), one’s place of contribution (work, school, trade, etc.), and a “third place” where people gather with others who share common communities or values. In this third space, people cultivate relationships based on these shared foundations. According to Oldenburg, a good third space is accessible, inviting, comfortable, playful, and open. It is a place for public wellbeing.
We want Third Space at Shaarei Tfiloh to be such a place, one where our local community can find and explore connections to ideas and people, doing so rooted in Jewish wisdom and ancestral knowledge. We are committed to meaningful engagement and non-dogmatic understanding of this rich tradition of thinking and debate, and its relevance to our current time, place, and historical moment.