What We Do

GatherDC helps 20s and 30s find their people, their place, and their path in DC Jewish life.

• We strengthen the fabric of Jewish life by serving as the central platform for post-college/pre-family Jewish life across the DC area, making it possible for thousands of 20s and 30s to live a Jewish life that feels right for them, right now.

• We facilitate innovative opportunities for meaningful and relevant Jewish learning at programs and retreats such as Beyond the Tent, Mini Gatherings, weekly Torah study, and more.

• We host an annual fellowship to train young adults to become leaders, engagers, and facilitators of Jewish life.

• We help 20s/30s in DC connect to Jewish organizations and each other through our comprehensive calendar of events, weekly newsletter, robust social media, coffee dates, and more.

• We work with the wide network of Jewish communal partners to help them best serve young Jewish adults.

Explore GatherDC’s Impact

To learn more about GatherDC and how you can support our work, visit gatherdc.org/donate or contact GatherDC’s Executive Director Rachel Gildiner.

“With no denominational or political agenda, Gather has emerged as the agreed-upon atlas for the DC Jewish community.” – The Slingshot selection committee

“When I moved to DC, I didn’t feel like a part of anything. I figured getting involved with the Jewish community could be a gateway to making friends, so I signed up for GatherDC’s Beyond the Tent retreat. Flash forward to today, I attend weekly learning sessions with Rabbi Aaron Potek (Gather’s Community Rabbi), facilitated a later Beyond the Tent retreat, and made most of my closest friends throught Gather” – Daniel W., age 25

“GatherDC introduced me to Jewish DC. When I became a Moishe House resident, Gather was my go-to resource to collaborate on programs. Gather has a great way of engaging those who are skeptical of or not engaged in Jewish life through meaningful programs that inspire deep connections. Through Gather’s Open Doors Fellowship, I met my closest friends, and developed personally and professionally.” – Tiffany., age 31

“It’s not lost on me how many of my amazing insights, experiences, and friendships in DC are owed to the hard work that GatherDC does, and that young adults across DC, including myself, get to benefit from it. “ – SJ., 28

Who We Are

Rachel Gildiner
Executive Director

As GatherDC’s Executive Director, Rachel could easily be called “connector in chief,” as well. She loves making meaningful connections with people and using GatherDC’s extensive network of people, organizations, and programs to help people find the place where they feel most themselves, most welcome, and most valued in Jewish DC.

What else gets her excited? Baked goods, getting free return address labels from organizations she supports like the World Wildlife Federation, Jewish learning and new leadership books (nerd alert!), and seeing her three amazing (and objectively adorable) kids learn and grow every day.

Reach out to Rachel to learn more about GatherDC, or if you think you can finally teach her how to ride a bike.

Rabbi Aaron Potek
Community Rabbi

Reb Aaron, our Rabbi in residence at GatherDC, loves to help people find new ways to think about Jewish identity, understand themselves, and process the world around them. There are many ways to be Jewish, and he wants to help you find a path that works for you. (Read some of his thoughts on this very topic here.)

He spends most of his time outside of the GatherDC office, meeting with people in coffee shops and bars to have relaxed, meaningful discussions about what it means for someone to be Jewish in their 20’s and 30’s.

When Reb Aaron isn’t meeting with community members, hosting a Mini Gathering, or leading GatherDC’s Beyond the Tent experience, he’s making people laugh at an improv show, or being active on the tennis court or hiking trail.

Wanna “talk Jewish” with Reb Aaron? Reach out today!

Allison Friedman
Communications Director

As the GatherDC Communications Director, Allison (you can call her Allie) manages Gather’s daily internal and external marketing efforts. She is always looking out for new, innovative ways to engage and connect with young adults wherever they are. Allison is a native of Potomac, Maryland and has five years of experience working in the Jewish nonprofit and marketing industries. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from The University of Michigan (go blue!) with a Bachelors of Communications Studies. Allison is deeply passionate about using integrated marketing and social media strategies to help Jewish organizations strengthen their engagement with community members in order to build a more vibrant and welcoming Jewish life.

When she’s not designing on Canva or posting on social media, she loves hiking in the great outdoors, whipping up new vegan recipes, watching reality television, and relaxing in Bethany Beach.

Reach out to Allie with ideas for blogs, social media posts, Jewish Person of the Week suggestions, or just to say hey!

Jackie Zais
Community Engagement Director

As GatherDC’s Community Engagement Director, Jackie helps facilitate the programs our community has come to know and love. Every day, she gets to meet and connect amazing people in DC, dream up new ideas for our community, meet people for coffee, and help build vibrant Jewish life here in DC.

When she’s not crushing it at the GatherDC office or grabbing coffee with community members, you can catch her reading at the zoo, cooking a feast for friends, or making hysterical pop culture references that make every conversation a little more awesome.

Reach out to grab coffee to talk about Jewish life in DC… or your favorite band coming to town!

Mollie Sharfman Community Manager

Mollie is an experiential Jewish educator and facilitator who is committed to creating empowering and dynamic learning spaces, and motivating you to dream BIG about what is possible for you on your Jewish journey. Throughout her career, she has created vibrant Jewish experiences for all types of Jewish communities, and led Muslim-Jewish Dialogues across the globe – including Winnipeg, Berlin, Salzburg, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and Sarajevo!

Mollie is looking forward to building community with you through volunteer work, Jewish identity exploration, and dynamic discussions. When she’s not working, Mollie loves to travel and actually spent the past three years living in Israel! Fun fact: Mollie is a part of Hazon’s JOFEE Fellowship, which seeks to invigorate the Jewish educational landscape by seeding Jewish communities with outstanding professional educators. Reach out to Mollie to say hey!

Rachel Nieves
Community Coordinator

As GatherDC’s Community Coordinator, Rachel helps connect those new or new(ish) to DC and help them feel at home. After graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in Communication in 2016, she has since been on the hunt for ways to better engage with the DC Jewish community. She loves meeting new people, and connecting them with each other to help build thriving friendships.

When she’s not in the GatherDC office or grabbing coffee with community members, you can find her dancing (more like flailing) to the nearest live cover band, admiring dogs that aren’t hers in Meridian Hill Park, watching reality television, and hanging out and laughing with her friends.

Reach out to Rachel to grab coffee, learn more about Jewish life in DC, or just to schmooze and say hi!

Julie Thompson
Office Manager

As GatherDC’s Office Manager, Julie helps keep Gather’s wheels turning behind the scenes. After three years working in administration and development for a local youth development nonprofit, she is excited to take the skills she learned and help the Gather team connect their Jewish peers to all of the awesome events, opportunities, and people that Jewish DC has to offer!

When Julie isn’t at the GatherDC office, she’s probably out with friends trying a new restaurant across DC, planning her next big trip to explore a new corner of the world, or snuggled in with a good book and her rescue cat, Chloe.

Reach out to Julie to grab coffee and find out about her skydiving adventures!

Reach Out

Have questions about Jewish life in DC?

Want to promote your Jewish organization, program or group in Washington DC through GatherDC?

Just want to introduce yourself?

We’d love to hear from you!

Oh, hey! Good to see you.

You're in the right place.

What We Do

GatherDC helps 20s and 30s find their people, their place, and their path in DC Jewish life.

Explore GatherDC’s Impact

Who We Are

Reach Out