LABA New York: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture

LABA New York: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture LABA New York: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture, a program at the 14th Street Y, is a Jewish house of

LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture includes the House of Study for culture-makers located at the 14th Street Y in New York City. Each year, the diverse LABA Fellows–writers, dancers, musicians, actors and directors–partake in a yearlong study of classical Jewish texts, and then interpret them in their work which is featured in the online Journal and live events. A central focus of LABA is to pr

esent Judaism's rich literary and intellectual traditions in a non-denominational, non-religious setting, so that these writings may serve as inspiration for the fellows' art. LABA bases its study around a different theme each year, with this year's theme being BEAUTY. The LABA Fellows program seeks to transform the cultural landscape of New York and the Jewish world by giving artists and culture-makers an opportunity to engage classical texts and create work in dialogue with ancient wisdom, without compromising contemporary vision. Fellows are given a central role in the community center, and serve as innovators and role models through their creative and honest approach to tradition and identity. LABA enables its fellows to challenge conventional assumptions and advance new paradigms for Jewish life and contemporary culture. The word LABA means "lava" in Hebrew, and reflects the way in which art and culture can bring experiences from deep below the surface into day to day life.

Join us for the pride gallery opening at next Thursday! (RSVP in our bio)
05/29/2026

Join us for the pride gallery opening at next Thursday! (RSVP in our bio)

“The War of the Wombs.”Rachel and Leah. Zilpah and Bilhah.A fierce biblical struggle over love, status, desire, and lega...
05/19/2026

“The War of the Wombs.”
Rachel and Leah. Zilpah and Bilhah.
A fierce biblical struggle over love, status, desire, and legacy.

Who will bear more sons? Who will be remembered?
And in this struggle, names become tools in the war.
Each child carries a cry, a wound, a victory.

Reuben — “Look, a son.”
Dan — “God has judged me.”
Naftali — “My struggle.”
Asher — “My happiness.”

Celebrate Shavuot with us this Sunday, from 10 AM–12 PM, at a special family-friendly event in Hebrew 🌾 at roof!The mor...
05/15/2026

Celebrate Shavuot with us this Sunday, from 10 AM–12 PM, at a special family-friendly event in Hebrew 🌾 at roof!

The morning will include:
• A basket weaving workshop with LABA alum .ela
• Live music by the amazing .dandi.dandi and
• Delicious food by .totable
Looking forward to celebrating together!

Celebrate Shavuot with us this Sunday, from 10 AM–12 PM, at a special family-friendly event in Hebrew 🌾 at the roof!The...
05/15/2026

Celebrate Shavuot with us this Sunday, from 10 AM–12 PM, at a special family-friendly event in Hebrew 🌾 at the roof!

The morning will include:
• A basket weaving workshop with LABA alum .ela
• Live music by the amazing .dandi.dandi and
• Delicious food by .totable
Looking forward to celebrating together!

(More info at website!)

Meet the LABA NY ‘Name’ fellows for 2026:Eli ZuzovskyFilm, theater, literature“Having lived in many places throughout my...
05/14/2026

Meet the LABA NY ‘Name’ fellows for 2026:

Eli Zuzovsky
Film, theater, literature

“Having lived in many places throughout my life, I’ve learned that people can pronounce my name in many different ways. In Israel, I’m עילי (Eli, with the stress on the last syllable), and in the U.S., I’m Eli (with the stress on the first syllable). In the UK, France, and Germany, people tend to call me Elie (like Elie Wiesel), and in Italy, where my dad’s family is from, I often become Elio (like the character from Call Me by Your Name).”

Meet the LABA NY ‘Name’ fellows for 2026:Hilan WarshawFilm director and writer“My name means “halo” in Hebrew. That’s qu...
05/11/2026

Meet the LABA NY ‘Name’ fellows for 2026:

Hilan Warshaw
Film director and writer

“My name means “halo” in Hebrew. That’s quite a lot of pressure, and I wasn’t consulted. I’ve never met another Hilan (the feminine form, Hila, is considerably more common). Perhaps my parents were trying to give me a conversation starter for life, although had they known the talkative fellow I’d grow up to be, they might have decided it’s not necessary. Interestingly enough, my name isn’t even properly Hebrew; the original cognate is “helos,” meaning that my name is in essence more Greek than Hebraic. The name itself is pronounced as though you’re referring to a male lawn, or speaking about the Italian city “Milan” in the third person. I’ve gone through life realizing that most people around me have a hard time remembering or pronouncing my name, at least initially. Even in Israel— where my mother is from— the name is an outlier; when one of my documentaries was written about in a leading Israeli newspaper, my name was naturally enough printed as Ilan. I suppose that’s the fate of a halo: hard to get a handle on. Like Avram/Avraham, the protagonist in the script I wish to write, I understand what it is to be given a name that feels at once like a blessing, a directive, and a burden. I wear it (if not an actual halo) proudly.”

I AM THAT I AM 🔥last night’s Lag Ba’Omer sessionfake fire, real intentionswe sat with the burning bushand a name that do...
05/05/2026

I AM THAT I AM 🔥

last night’s Lag Ba’Omer session
fake fire, real intentions

we sat with the burning bush
and a name that doesn’t resolve—
אהיה אשר אהיה

Meet the LABA NY ‘Name’ fellows for 2026:Tomo SoneChoreography, Dance“My name “Tomo” is written in Japanese “知” which me...
04/27/2026

Meet the LABA NY ‘Name’ fellows for 2026:

Tomo Sone
Choreography, Dance

“My name “Tomo” is written in Japanese “知” which means knowledge.”

Meet the LABA NY ‘Name’ fellows for 2026:Julian VolojGraphic Novels“As a storyteller, I have focused on other people’s b...
04/24/2026

Meet the LABA NY ‘Name’ fellows for 2026:

Julian Voloj
Graphic Novels

“As a storyteller, I have focused on other people’s biographies. For this project, I am turning my artistic lens onto my own family’s history, a complex saga leading from the Bucovina to Latin America to Germany to the U.S. My surname is rooted in the medieval German word for “foreigner” or “stranger” and originally spelled differently but then adjusted to the Spanish phonetic. Since “Voloj” was a ‘self-created’ name, it became an essential part of our family’s mythology, the foundation stone of a new life in the new world. So exploring my own family history is intertwined with exploring the origins of my name.
Interesting Fact
Today, whenever I find someone with the same family name, they are somehow related to me and can trace their roots back to my grandfather’s generation, starting a new life in Latin America.”

Congratulations to LABA NY fellow on winning the 2026 Wilbur Award from Awarded for Hyphen: An Anthology of Global Jew...
04/19/2026

Congratulations to LABA NY fellow on winning the 2026 Wilbur Award from

Awarded for Hyphen: An Anthology of Global Jewish Comics — created by and — the book was recognized for excellence in communicating religious stories in secular media.

At gallery, we were honored to present stories from the anthology — bringing these narratives into a shared, live space.

This also marks the first time a graphic novel anthology has received Book of the Year — a powerful moment for the medium and for contemporary Jewish storytelling.

Address

344 E 14th Street
New York, NY
10003

Telephone

+12127800080

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when LABA New York: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to LABA New York: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture:

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category