The Kavana Cooperative

The Kavana Cooperative is a pluralistic cooperative community and platform for a holistic Jewish experience in Seattle. Ditching the idea that Judaism is one size fits all, it has created ways to DIY Judaism—keeping it intimate, vibrant, nondenominational, and full of depth. If the thought of a cooperative community brings up nostalgia for your hippie liberal arts college, you’ll be pleased to know that monthly ethical mindfulness meet-ups, camping trips, Shabbat in the park, and soul spa retreats (with yoga and meditation, of course) are on the event calendar. Kavana also hosts holiday celebrations, book clubs, and Living Room Learning programs. In response to the 2016 election, Kavana expanded its focus on social-justice and advocacy work, and created a new Social Action Think Tank, which is open to anyone who has a deep commitment to tikkun olam and something valuable to contribute to the molding and shaping of the program. 

Instead of members, Kavana has partners, who are empowered to be producers of Judaism rather than simply consumers and who customize their Jewish experience. Partners include a diverse range: couples with preschool- aged children, empty nesters, interfaith families, singles, religious people, unaffiliated people, straight members, and LGBTQ folks. The word kavana means “intention,”
and the expectations set for partners and rabbis are intentional. Partners show up regularly, volunteer time, and develop and lead programming. These partners become educators, innovators, and leaders who set the standard for deep Jewish engagement and provide input about how Kavana is run. Kavana was one of the founders of the Jewish Emergent Network, a group of seven communities committed to revitalizing the  eld of Jewish engagement in both traditionally rooted and creative ways, and through the network’s Rabbinic Fellowship program, they are working to train more rabbis to be the next generation of Jewish communal leaders. Kavana has created a space that’s wide open to any member of the tribe looking for their tribe and seeking personalized Judaism in a community context.