A VISION FOR JEWISH COMMUNITY

A Jewish home.
A living heritage.

Heritage · Belonging · Continuity

Rooted in Sephardi and Mizrahi tradition. Bringing prayer, learning, culture, and community together — in one Jewish home.

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BEGINNING IN LOS ANGELES · OPENING THE DOOR WIDER

A place to gather.

A place to be Jewish.

A place that welcomes you in.

INTRODUCING KENISA

Many stories.
One Jewish home.

כנסת

Knesset · Hebrew

Gathering

From the Hebrew root meaning to gather — a place where Jewish community is built.

Kenisa is a new model of Jewish community that brings together prayer, learning, culture, and community.

Rooted in Sephardi and Mizrahi tradition, we draw from the richness of the entire Jewish people — not replacing one Jewish story with another, but bringing our stories together.

کنیسا

Kenisa · Persian

Synagogue

In Persian, it means synagogue — a house of prayer, learning, celebration, and Jewish life.

כניסה

Knisah · Hebrew

Entrance

It echoes the Hebrew for entrance — a reminder that there are many pathways into Jewish life.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Heritage shouldn’t
mean a choice.

Many Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews feel they must choose between their heritage and their modern Jewish lives. Kenisa is being built to fill that gap — and create more pathways into Jewish life.

ONE PEOPLE. ONE TABLE.

“We are not interested in lowering the bar of Jewish tradition. We are interested in opening the door wider.”

Our Sephardi and Mizrahi understanding of community brings together people across a wide spectrum of practice, life experience, family structure, and perspective — around the same Shabbat table.

We meet people where they are — and invite them to keep growing.

THE NEED ALREADY EXISTS

1 in 5

Jewish adults in Los Angeles identify as Sephardi or Mizrahi.

Study of Jewish LA (2021)

75%

of Jewish households in Los Angeles do not belong to a synagogue or worship community.

Study of Jewish LA (2021)

31%

of American Jews report becoming more engaged in Jewish life since October 7.

JFNA, Survey of Jewish Life Since October 7 (2025)

Study of Jewish LA: Brandeis University & Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles (2021). JFNA: Jewish Federations of North America. Research figures describe the wider Jewish community, not Kenisa participation.