What she found instead was an overwhelming desire among Tribe 12 participants to have meaningful, engaging social gatherings devoid of alcohol. Across the rest of Tribe 12, the demand for such events seems to be increasing as well.
Now, Tribe 12’s program coordinators are looking for new ways to entertain their members, all in their 20s and 30s. Tribe 12 was founded in 1998 to encourage greater community participation and engagement among young adult Jews; as the needs and interests of that age cohort changes, so too does the programming designed for them.
Nemtzow said she’s noticed a desire for social gatherings that aren’t centered around drinking among many people her age, not just in Tribe 12 or the queer community. “And not even like explicitly sober spaces, but just this lack of interest in drinking culture and bar culture. I see more and more from people my age especially just want a great, authentic night with their friends and don’t really care about the bar scene.” “The majority of them are just people who choose not to drink,” said Ross Berkowitz, the CEO of Tribe 12.
Nemtzow had her doubts assuaged early on, and is working harder still to create sober spaces within Tribe 12.