A pluralistic, non-denominational Jewish learning ecosystem for the curious, the questioning, the Jewish and the Jew-ish, the spiritual seeker, and everyone in between. No membership. Just big ideas, meaningful learning, joyful experiences, and people worth knowing.
Hosted in partnership with the Mayerson JCC · Launching 2026
Deep Jewish literacy
There is no one way to do or be Jewish. Engage with Jewish wisdom through texts, history, ritual, theology — the whole messy, beautiful picture
Confidence to explore
Tools to build a Jewish life that actually fits yours.
Practices to try
Shabbat, holidays, study, ritual — yours to experiment with.
People to belong with
A real community of curious humans on the same winding path.
Unaffiliated Jews. Deeply engaged Jews. People in mixed-heritage families. Those considering conversion. Folks who've always been curious but didn't know where to start. Non-Jewish allies of the Jewish people.
The spiritually restless.
The intellectually hungry.
Have you ever felt like Judaism had a door you couldn't find the key to?
Let’s make a new door.
How It Works
Cincy Lab is built around a simple theory: belonging follows learning. When people learn together — really learn, with depth and honesty — they find each other. We've created multiple ways in, because we know everyone's path is different. Explore the on-ramps below, or jump straight to what calls to you.
Click a program name to learn more about it!
Small Groups/Chavurot
Size: 6–10 people
Cadence: Monthly
Sessions: Minimum 6
Cost: Free to join
Led by: Trained lay facilitators
The heart of it all.
This is where Cincy Lab lives. A chavurah is a small circle of people — 6 to 10 — who gather monthly to connect around Jewish wisdom, practices, and meaningful conversation. Lay-led. Peer-driven. Guided by original Judaism Unbound curriculum. Inspiring belonging through empowered learning. No rabbi required.
We believe the small group, chavurah, is one of the most powerful and underused vehicles for Jewish belonging in the world today. It is low-barrier enough for someone who has never set foot in a synagogue — and rich enough to sustain someone who has been studying for years. It is where learning becomes practice, and practice becomes community.
How it works: Groups meet monthly for a minimum of six sessions. Each group is guided by a trained lay facilitator — someone from the community who has been coached and supported by our Small Groups Educator. Curriculum, materials, and ongoing support are provided. Groups have a small budget for books, food, and supplies, because a shared table should feel like a shared table.
Our curriculum: Cincy Lab small groups use original Judaism Unbound learning materials, including Beyond the Bindings — our multi-modal facilitated guide to the big ideas in Jewish life, designed specifically for peer-led groups.
Explore Beyond the Bindings
Who leads the groups? Lay facilitators are primarily graduates of Judaism Inbound who feel called to create community. They receive one-on-one coaching, leadership development, and ongoing support from our Small Groups Educator. You don't need to be an expert. You need to be curious, reliable, and willing to hold space for others.
Interested in joining a group? Fill out the interest form below and we will connect you with a group forming near you — or help you start your own.
Interested in leading a group? We would love to talk with you. Tell us about yourself using the form below.
Judaism Inbound
The deep dive. 18 sessions. One transformative experience.
Format: Weekly, 90 minutes
Sessions: 18
Location: In-person, Mayerson JCC
Cost: $500
Aid: Generous scholarships available
Offered: Twice annually, beginning fall 2026
Judaism Inbound is our flagship course — a rigorous, non-denominational exploration of Jewish history, text, theology, and practice. This is not a survey class. It is part lecture series, part study club, part spiritual laboratory. We don't tell you what to believe. We hand you the clay and trust you to sculpt something that is yours.
What we cover: Judaism Inbound moves through the full landscape of Jewish life — from foundational texts and the many Jewish ideas about God, to Shabbat, lifecycle rituals, Jewish history, ancestral lineages, lost wisdoms, and what it might mean to build a Judaism that is genuinely yours. Each session pairs rigorous learning with honest conversation, drawing on ancient texts, contemporary thinkers, and the Judaism Unbound podcast universe. You'll leave not with a set of answers, but with the confidence and tools to keep asking the right questions.
Who is this class for? Disenchanted but hopeful Jews? Folks on the way to Judaism? Friends of Jews who want to learn more? The answer is: all of the above! While this class was designed as an introduction to Judaism for those on the path towards conversion, our curriculum works for anyone, including non-Jews curious about Judaism who do not seek to convert, those considering conversion, and Jews looking to be re-introduced to Judaism.
Part lecture series, part study club, part spiritual laboratory, and an introduction to Judaism class that covers Judaism as a religion, history, culture, and spiritual mode. Judaism InBound is built around the concept that Judaism is constantly evolving and is currently in a period of exceptionally radical change. We believe that there is no singular way to teach “what Jews believe” or “what Jews do,” and it is even harder to introduce an entity that may look very different very soon. As such, this course is designed to both teach about and challenge mainstream Judaism. We intend to familiarize students with longstanding tenets of Judaism while also empowering them to view what they learned as raw material that they can shape to best reflect their own lives.
Cost: $500 · Generous scholarships available Format: Weekly, 90 minutes · In-person at the Mayerson JCC Offered: Twice annually, beginning fall 2026
“This is one of the best class experiences I’ve ever had, and I have three Masters degrees. I was able to ‘learn with a firehose,’ and that is my preferred style of learning.”
Peak Events
Quarterly. Open to everyone. Unforgettable.
Gatherings that feel like Jewish Burning Man meets your best friends' Shabbat table. Music, wisdom, wonder — open to everyone, no prior knowledge needed. Just show up and see what Judaism feels like when it's fully alive.
What to expect: Each Peak Event is built around a theme drawn from Jewish wisdom — awe, rest, repair, joy, grief, justice — explored through shared learning, music, and conversation. Every event includes resources for opportunities to activate your values, learn more, and connect with others in the broader Jewish community.
Upcoming events: Yirah: A Night of Awe at the Turning of the Year, August 15th, Mayerson JCC
One night of collective effervescence. A roomful of seekers, Jews, Jew-ish folks, and the spiritually curious — gathered on the new moon of Elul to feel the year turn.
Songs you know. Stories you don't. A guided journey into wonder.
August 15, 2026 · 7:00pm-8:30pm · Free · Bring a friend - Please register separately
Mayerson JCC · 8485 Ridge Road, Cincinnati. OH. 45236
Special Musical Guests: Robbie Schaefer + Grammy award winning artist, Danielle Wertz
Drop-In Classes
Show up once. Come back because you want to.
Not ready for an 18-week commitment? Drop-in classes are single-session hands-on explorations of Jewish values, practices, and big ideas — designed to be satisfying on their own and to open doors you didn't know were there. Each session stands alone, so you can join any time.
ABOUT JUDAISM UNBOUND
Rooted right here in Cincinnati
We bring national scholars, original curricula, and 10+ years of experience reaching the people who are finding their own way into a personally resonant Jewish life — through our family of podcasts, our UnYeshiva, school of learning and unlearning, and now, for the first time, a place based initiative in the Queen City.
We are not a synagogue. We don't want your membership. We want to learn with you. Build a Jewish future that is expansive and meaningful with you. We want to send you forward — into the community, into practice, into the communal opportunities and an expansive Judaism that is most alive for you. Our off-ramps into the wider Jewish world are built into everything we do.
OUR PARTNERS
Built together
Cincy Lab is made possible through deeply collaborative partnerships. We believe in building something that no single organization could create alone.
The Mayerson JCC is our home base — providing space for all Cincy Lab activities and co-teaching Judaism Inbound with Rabbi Sammy Kanter, Director of Jewish Life.
The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati supports our peak events, lay leadership development, and operations — helping us reach the broader Cincinnati Jewish community.
Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah supports our small group curriculum development and provides three-year impact assessment — connecting our work to a national network of Jewish small group initiatives.
Judaism Unbound provides program oversight, teaching, curriculum, and the national network, infrastructure, and expertise that makes this experiment possible.
Want to be part of this? Cincy Lab is building a community of people who are finding their way into Jewish life — and we can't do it alone. If your organization is ready to welcome the curious, the searching, and the newly committed, we'd love to talk about what collaboration could look like.
Stay Connected
Whether you're ready to register or just want to know when the next Peak Event is, we'd love to hear from you. Sign up for the Cincy Lab quarterly newsletter — event announcements, learning resources, and community updates, delivered to your inbox.
Questions? Reach us at hellocincy@judaismunbound.com