Bayit Ba’Beltline Offers Spirited Shabbat Gatherings

A new Jewish community is taking root along Atlanta’s Beltline. Bayit Ba’Beltline (B³ · Home on the Beltline) is a lay-led, Shabbat-observant, egalitarian group that is already drawing large crowds of young Jewish professionals for lively prayer, song, and communal meals.

Founded earlier this year by David Kulp, Camellia Heart-Katz, and Jenny Judenberg, the group was inspired by similar grassroots communities in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York. In March 2025, the trio began envisioning a vibrant, egalitarian Jewish community of young professionals in their 20s and 30s on the Beltline, and by May they had launched their first Shabbat service and dinner.

The first two Friday night services and dinners surpassed the founders’ expectations, with 107 and 111 attendees, respectively, prompting organizers to open a waitlist. A few months later, they had a 15-member board of directors and more than 240 Instagram followers. Strong support comes from many in the larger Jewish community, including Hadar Atlanta. Bi-monthly gatherings are held at Ponce City Market, which the founders call the perfect venue for fostering connection.

“We have a huge sidewalk called the Beltline and we want to use it to help build a community,” said Kulp, an Emory University medical school student who grew up in a modern Orthodox family in Washington, D.C. “Our mission is to create a space that is inclusive, egalitarian and open.”

Heart-Katz, currently a director at the American Jewish Committee, was raised in a Chabad synagogue. She emphasized the importance of timing, stating, “Being able to gather together in a large group has been so uplifting. So many people live intown now, and we did not want them to have to wait until reaching their mid-30s and a move to the suburbs to be active in Jewish life,” she said.

Bayit Ba’Beltline prides itself in part on its decidedly different “vibe,” according to organizers. Unlike traditional congregational services, their minyanim are fully participatory, with community members volunteering to lead Kabbalat Shabbat, Ma’ariv, kiddush, challah and benching, as well as composing and sharing a D’var Torah at each event. Services vary in style depending on who is leading the service that night. Kulp often brings a Shlomo Carlebach-inspired approach with lots of music, while Judenberg leans toward a Conservative style, including songs many in attendance remember from their Jewish camp experiences.

“We want people to feel like they’ve stumbled across a group of their friends, and they’re hanging out,” said Judenberg, an electrical engineer who grew up in East Cobb at Congregation Etz Chaim. “We want to create consistent programming for single Jewish professionals who live near the Beltline and who are looking for something Jewish and spiritual in their lives.”

What began as friends inviting friends to their homes for Shabbat dinners has grown into a sacred space where Shabbat is welcomed with joyful songs, meaningful prayers, and a warm sense of belonging. And the founders’ shared vision has been well received by the young intown professionals – most of whom eagerly await announcements of future events. Based on the enthusiastic response and participation of this Jewish community, Bayit Ba’Beltline plans to add even more programming in the near future, potentially increasing the number of Shabbat events and adding “get-to-know-you happy hours” for participants to meet each other. Yet, as they grow, the founders emphasize the organization will remain rooted in accessibility, diversity, and inclusion of all Jews who wish to participate.

For more information or to get involved, contact babeltline@gmail.com or visit @BaBeltline on Instagram.