Seriously, What IS the Hub on Venice?

A transformation is underway on the corner of Barrington Avenue and Venice Boulvard that literally asks the bold-faced question, “What IS the Hub on Venice?”

Hub Executive Director Meirav Finley hopes locals and passers-by alike will be inspired by the bright banner overhanging the newly remodeled Ohr HaTorah synagogue doorway to check out the website, www.thehubonvenice.com, to find out. While still in the nascent stages, the Hub is poised to become a neighborhood hangout, a center for religious studies, good eating, early childhood education, and adult classes. 

Ohr HaTorah had been the proverbial wandering temple in search of a home after losing its longtime lease on a Westside church. After touring dozens of potential sites, Finley found herself returning to the site of an old Jewish congregation in Mar Vista. Run down and in need of tremendous upgrades, the building’s smaller scale offered some appeal – “I could clean the space myself,” chuckled Finley.

The new paint of the building has already been marred by graffiti, and fencing and landscaping are still underway, but entering through a discreet door on Barrington, a surprisingly warm and newly designed space greets visitors. The move-in is incomplete—random cases of Jewish liturgical candlesticks and ritual wine cups are in corners, stacks of baseball caps emblazoned “Ohr HaTorah—moving tradition forward”—are piled up, but beyond velvet curtains, a welcoming café space is well-appointed and comfortable. Off the patio, enormous glass doors open to a large, bright patio. A sandbox and a play structure are already in use to one side, and the center begs for tables and chairs for lounging.

The Hub, explains Finley, includes six different “spokes” of practice. Ohr HaTorah Synagogue is the focus of the space, a full service synagogue led by husband Rabbi Mordechai Finley. “Progressive yet traditional,” the synagogue currently has over 250 families. Fronting Venice Boulevard, the sanctuary has a soaring, high roof, but furnishings are sparse, save for chairs, the traditional ark, and an enormous bookshelf.

Finley says this summer she experienced an epiphany that the space was meant to serve the larger community. 

Upstairs are rooms for offices, classes, and space for another “spoke,” the Early Childhood Center, which includes a preschool, parenting classes and “parent and me,” for the youngest children. 

Finley is most excited about Sophos Café, soon to be a full service restaurant, currently available for members and prospective members, with a menu of Yemenite specialties. A microphone and mini-stage are in place—performances take place several nights a week, and the public invited to participate—performers are welcome to audition. “This is a place for artistic expression,” Finley stressed. The buildings surrounding the Hub include UCLA graduate housing, and she is reaching out to the students to enjoy the leafy courtyard and café.

The “Beach Communities Jewish Center” provides a variety of services and classes for the local Jewish community, with an emphasis on providing a haven for those who may not have previously belonged to a Jewish group. An outreach postcard featured the silhouette of a surfer and the shout-out, “Hub’s up, Dude?” 

The “Venice Boulevard Community Center,” is planned to respond to the needs and interests of the surrounding community at large, offering classes, homework clubs, and literacy programs. Finley says she has met with Grandview Elementary School, and was impressed and inspired by their programming. 

At the Institute for Spiritual Formation and Moral Psychology, classes on a variety of topics are geared towards personal growth and insight. On a recent afternoon visit, a table was set with an elegant coffee service. Thirty students were on their way for a seminar by Rabbi Finley. A survey of the Hub website also listed a group hike, child-rearing classes, a “food, fun and fitness” class, musical and comedy performances (February 25^th), and an upcoming Purim extravaganza (March 7^th). 

The programming is ambitious, but Finley notes that she anticipates three to five years of growth to fulfill her dreams for the space. She’s putting together a neighborhood survey to find out what the locals would like to enjoy in the space, as activities and interest in The Hub build.

The Sophos café is open Thursdays and Saturdays at 6pm for dinner and entertainment—and the invitation to “stop in and see what the fuss is about.”