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Bailey Allen: A new Somerville bar and restaurant is serving themed drinks and appetizers… but that’s not all. It’s also serving up Jewish learning. The “tavern,” as the staff call it, is named Lehrhaus. Jewish (and non-Jewish) participants alike can sit down with learning guides from Hebrew College and take Torah and Talmud classes. They can do this while eating Ashkenazi and Israeli-Mediterranean-style dishes such as Mac & Cheese Kugel and Beet "Pastrami" Reuben. Rabbi Charlie Schwartz, director of Lehrhaus, created the non-traditional space with the idea of “togetherness” in mind, especially in a post-pandemic world.

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Rabbi Charlie Schwartz: So, I'm one of the co-founders with my good friend Josh Foer, and during the pandemic, we were talking about what comes after lockdown, basically. We were thinking about "What does it mean to gather?" and "What kind of gathering spaces do we want to see in the world — specifically Jewish gathering spaces?" and we started talking about it and after several twists and turns, [we] kind of arrived here.

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Bailey Allen: The concept of Lehrhaus is to make Jewish learning and culture more accessible for those who might be intimidated by traditional religious spaces. Rabbi Schwartz said although the space has only been open for just over two weeks, there’s been a range of visitors. Some do Torah study all the time, while others might just be culturally Jewish and curious about what’s happening at the tavern.

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Rabbi Charlie Schwartz: There are lots of people who might not be comfortable walking into a synagogue or a JCC (Jewish Community Center) or a Hillel, but they understand how a bar works, right? So I think, like, the first [thing] is, like, is making an environment that's understandable to most people. Having a range of things on the walls, and selections of books so people see themselves and [their] curiosities, and then just curating the stuff that goes on here in a way that's very, very broad.

 

Bailey Allen: The bar inside Lehrhaus serves a number of creatively-themed cocktails. The drinks include a whiskey-infused New York egg cream and a Passover-inspired “charoset” drink. Naomi Levy, the tavern’s hospitality and beverage consultant, has written many cocktail menus throughout her career, but says this one is the one she’s most proud of.

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Naomi Levy: What we really wanted to present was a very well-rounded menu that represents Jewish cultures all around the world. So, it was a really wonderful project, you know, doing a lot of research and learning more about my own culture, and learning about how different people celebrate around the world, or different ingredients from different parts of the Jewish diaspora, and stories, as well.

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Bailey Allen: The space has been following a “soft opening” model for the past couple of weeks. The team at Lehrhaus will begin offering classes and be open for longer after the Passover holiday. They’re bringing Jewish educators, such as Rachel Sturges, on board, as they ramp up their business.

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Rachel Sturges: So, I hopefully will be a bartender here in a couple weeks, and I am leaving my job in Jewish education, and I would love to still work in a center of Jewish education — just, like, not being the educator. I bartended all throughout college and I'm looking to do it again.

 

Bailey Allen: Employees of Lehrhaus, including the manager of store control, Paige, believe that the restaurant/institution is an important innovation for the Jewish community.

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Paige: Whenever I work in a space, it needs to be a space that I feel has purpose or something that I'm proud of, and when they asked me to come here — I definitely, firmly believe that the Jewish community needs a safe space to just study and mingle and have a kosher experience, for folks that maybe don't have a lot of access to that in the Boston area right now.

 

Bailey Allen:  Whether snuggled up on the couches in the tavern’s lounge, studying in the center’s quiet back room, or laughing with friends at the restaurant tables, Boston-area Jews are able to celebrate their culture and religion in a comfortable manner. For the multimedia journalism capstone project at Emerson College, this is Bailey Allen.

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