Ready to take your relationship with Lab/Shul to the next level?

Welcome to a different kind of belonging.
We call it Partnerhood.

Partnerhood Overview

Partnerhood works on the simple premise that each of us invests something of ourselves – emotionally, spiritually, and financially– in order to get a whole lot more from each other.

While Lab/Shul is open to all, Partners make an intentional commitment to co-create how our community grows and evolves. Partners enjoy the privilege of priority access to Lab/Shul’s ritual team, discounts on programming, and special gatherings throughout the year. Partners also have an active voice in shaping innovative approaches to Jewish life for ourselves and for one another.

Partner

pärtnər /n/
a person who takes part in an undertaking with others, sharing risks and profits; playing on the same team; a person with whom one shares an intimate relationship

Benefits & Privileges

All contribution options receive the same membership benefits, with the exception of our Digital Partners and Sustaining Partners.

SOUL

Ritual and Spiritual Practice

  • 40% off seats for the High Holy Days for the members of your household

  • Free entry to all Shabbat and holiday ritual programs

  • Discounts for Purim and Passover programming

  • Priority-access to the Lab/Shul Ritual Team for dedicated pastoral care

WISDOM

Lifelong Learning

  • Free or discounted education programming for adults

  • Free or discounted Lab/Jr. education and community events for children ages 0-11

TOGETHER

Communal Care

  • Access to small-group “Community Care Circles” by geography, affinity, interest, etc.

  • Invitations to annual “All Hands/Hearts” Partnerhood meeting

  • Invitations to provide feedback, weigh in and vote on Lab/Shul’s future

  • Invitations to Partner-only meet-ups throughout the year

BECOMING

Rites of Passage for Every Age and Stage

  • Discounts of 20% off all BECOMING rites of passage cohort programs, including Raising the Bar: Teen B Mitzvah, Pass/Age:, Adult Journey Groups and B Mitzvah, and GENerate: Elder Journey Groups

  • Priority access to the Lab/Shul ritual team and discounts on weddings, baby namings, and other lifecycle ritual events.

Collective Responsibility

The privileges that come with being a Partner also come with responsibilities.

Partnerhood is inspired by the Jewish value of Achrayut, mutual responsibility and accountability for one another’s wellbeing. In Jewish tradition, Achrayut reflects moral accountability, care for others, and awareness of the consequences of one’s actions. It is a commitment to showing up for one another with presence and compassion through moments of joy, grief, growth, healing, and becoming.

Financial Commitment

This commitment to shared responsibility extends beyond care and participation. It also includes a commitment to making a personally meaningful financial contribution–not as transactional giving, but as an expression of communal care and commitment.

Partner financial contributions are essential to overall day-to-day operations and ensures that Lab/Shul can thrive. The average real cost of operating Lab/Shul in 2026 is approximately $5,000 per household / year which does not include programming fees. It is our hope that the financial contribution of each Partner household is as close to the average operating cost as possible. That being said, no person will ever be turned away from Lab/Shul for financial reasons. This has been our organization’s commitment to our community since our inception in 2013, and it will continue to be a defining commitment for years to come.

Community Covenant

All Partners must agree to Lab/Shul’s Statement of Being in Community outlining shared expectations for participation, accountability, care, and belonging. Affirming this covenant is a reflection of our commitment to sustaining our everybody-friendly, values-aligned community culture. To read our full Statement of Being in Community, click here >

Choose the Partnerhood option that’s right for you.

Lab/Shul runs on your contributions.

Below are suggested contribution amounts to match different needs. Each carries the same benefits, except for Digital and Sustaining Partners. Select the suggested contribution option that makes sense for you—we’ll make it work no matter what.

TYPE DESCRIPTION ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION MONTHLY CONTRIBUTION

Supporters: Households (HH)
HH of 1 1 Adult $1,800 per year $150 per month
HH of 2 1 Adult + 1 Child under 18 $2,000 per year $167 per month
HH of 2 2 Adults $3,000 per year $250 per month
HH of 3 2 Adults + 1 Child under 18 $3,200 per year $267 per month
HH of 4+ 2 Adults + 2 Children under 18 $3,400 per year $284 per month
HH of 5+ 2 Adults + 3 or more children under 18 $3,600 per year $300 per month

Sustainers
Pillar Partners who contribute a sustaining gift to help keep Lab/Shul accessible for everyone. $5,000 per year $417 per month
Anchor Partners who contribute a sustaining gift to help keep Lab/Shul accessible for everyone. $7,500 per year $625 per month
Visionary* Partners who contribute a sustaining gift to help keep Lab/Shul accessible for everyone, and are invited into Lab/Shul’s Visionary Circle. $12,500 per year $1,042 per month

Friends
Digital Zip codes outside NYC $180 per year $15 per month
Ally Subsidized Partnerhood option for Full-time Students & Seniors $500 per year $42 per month

Got questions? Check the FAQs or email Stephen Silva, Community Manager..

*Visionary Circle

Lab/Shul’s Visionary Circle is an all inclusive Partnerhood option for investors contributing $12,500 and above per year. In addition to regular Partnerhood benefits, Visionary benefits also include:

  • Monthly Visionary salons featuring Rabbi Amichai, the Lab/Shul Ritual Team and other prestigious guest teachers

  • Exclusive invitations to Artist/Educator-in-Residence discussions and workshops

  • Four (4) seats for all of the High Holy Days

  • Special receptions and dinners throughout the year

  • Free entry to all Lab/Shul-led adult educational classes

Visionary Circle salons are gatherings throughout the year, leading study sessions and discussions through a lens of inclusivity, progress and justice, and utilizing Jewish texts as sources of context. With Lab/Shul’s Everybody Friendly mission as a driving force, Visionary Circle topics include inclusivity and post-tribalism; patrilineal descent, racism, intermarriage; God and theology, prayer; Israel-Middle East politics, antisemitism, etc.

To learn more about Visionary Circle, contact Sarah Sokolic, Co-Founder & Executive Director, or register here.

Frequently Asked Questions

How it Works

At Lab/Shul, membership is about becoming real Partners in the co-creation of our community. That’s why we call our membership model ‘Partnerhood.’ We want you to feel like you’re taking part in shaping Lab/Shul, playing on our team, and, maybe, be in it for the long-haul. Benefits that come with Partnerhood include free or discounted programming, exclusive invitations and a voice and vote in Lab/Shul’s future. There are also a few key responsibilities that come with Partnerhood including a financial investment in our work and affirming our Statement of Being in Community.

With the exception of our Digital and Sustaining Partners, all Partnerhood options receive the same access and benefits. With various contribution options to match the different needs of the community, we invite you to select the contribution option that is right for you.

  • Digital Partnerhood is for those who live outside of a NYC zipcode, are not able to access our events in person, or have significant financial constraints. It does not include discounted seats to in person High Holy Days programs.
  • Visionary Partnerhood is a one-time annual contribution that includes entry to all of Lab/Shul’s programming throughout the year, with the exception of our annual Gala. It additionally includes access to the Visionary Circle which hosts monthly study salons with Rabbi Amichai, the Lab/Shul Ritual Team and prestigious guest speakers, addressing challenging and controversial issues facing the Jewish community. Anchor Partners are invited to join for select Visionary salons throughout the year.

Our membership cycle typically runs from July 1 – June 30, spanning our entire season of programming, although we welcome new Partners throughout the year and pro-rate benefits and contributions accordingly. We anticipate needing to raise contribution levels at least every two years by just a few percentage points to ensure that we are able to keep our lights on and our staff fed.

Financials

We want to be transparent about what it costs to run Lab/Shul. Our operating budget is approximately $2MM. This covers compensation for 6 full-time, 5 part-time employees and more than two dozen artist/educator contractors ($1.2MM), High Holy Days ($325K), Programming ($350K), Rent and General Administrative ($225K). Our goal is to have Partnerhood contributions account for 30% of our annual income within the next four years. Doing so will enable us to be less reliant upon outside fundraising, and instead be driven by you, our community. This is why we ask those who feel at home at Lab/Shul to join and renew.

You bet. We have a wide range of options for investing in Lab/Shul financially. Choose what works best for you. If you need a special arrangement just let us know and we’ll make it work! Email our Community Manager, Stephen Silva, at [email protected] anytime.

Yes, you can pay monthly! You can easily set up monthly electronic or paper payments. We do not offer discounts for fulfilling your entire contribution at once because we don’t believe it’s ethical to offer a discount only to those who can afford to do so.

At this stage in our organizational life, we still plan to fundraise three times during the year: in the spring for our annual Gala, in the fall during the High Holy Days, and at the end of the calendar year. Although you do not have to contribute again, we do ask that you consider supporting us throughout the year if you are able.

Belonging

Nope! Providing access is Lab/Shul’s primary driving force, placing the wide range of spiritual, educational and communal needs of everybody at the center of our work. Whether you’re a Partner, in the neighborhood, or simply curious about what we do, please drop in. That being said, Partners are invited to have a voice and vote in Lab/Shul future and have exclusive access to our small group programming, which provides an increased sense of connection and belonging.

Partnerhood is open to everyone! Lab/Shul is truly everybody-friendly, meaning we accept, respect, and invite the full spectrum of human existence without exception or judgement. So if you’re Jewish/Jew(ish)/not-at-all Jewish, interfaith, mutli-faith, not-really-into-faith, POC, LGBTQI+, older, younger, from here, from there–welcome home.

Free entry to all Shabbat rituals, discounts on educational classes, a vote in community matters, and more. Beyond that, a sense of belonging, a place to root and grow—in short, a community.

That’s totally fine! We get that your needs can be filled by more than one spiritual community. If you live out of town, consider becoming a Digital Partner so you can livestream our rituals, tune into online learning, and plug into our digital community. If you live in the tri-state area and think that we’ve got something new and different to offer, then please consider becoming a Partner at the contribution amount that feels right for you.

Yes! By becoming a Partner, not only do you get access to many of our gatherings, you get quality time with our clergy and ritual staff who can help direct you to the right community-led gathering or justice teams.

Provided they are available, yes, however, Partners are given priority over non-Partners.

Nope. If you are not currently a Partner you can still enroll your kid(s) in our Lab/Jr. And Raising the Bar B Mitzvah programs. That said, we do believe there’s something special that happens when you participate in the Lab/Shul community while your family prepares for this important ritual. That’s why we offer you a year of free Partnerhood during the calendar year of your participation.