The building at 4200 Blaine Avenue in St. Louis isn’t waiting to become something.

It already is.

Inside, it’s home to MaTovu, a grassroots Jewish community that has spent the past several years building something rare in the city.

There are Shabbat dinners. Study sessions in bars and breweries. A steady rhythm of Jewish life that, for years, didn’t exist in this part of St. Louis.

But none of it is guaranteed to stay.

That’s the part MaTovu is trying to change.

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A Campaign to Stay

The organization, which has called the building home since 2018, is launching a $750,000 capital campaign to buy it—an effort that would turn a rented space into a permanent one and secure its place in the city’s Jewish landscape.

In 1929, it was home to the South Side Hebrew Congregation, part of a Jewish community that once lived in and around what is now Botanical Heights.

By 1944, the congregation was gone, the building sold, and like much of Jewish life in south St. Louis, the center of gravity shifted west.

For decades, the building remained, but its Jewish identity did not.

That changed in 2018.

Bringing Jewish Life Back

When MaTovu moved in, the space became a functioning Jewish gathering place again for the first time in generations.

Since then, the organization has grown around it.

But it has also been renting it.

Jeremy Brok, a MaTovu staff member and and a member of its cooperative “Builder” structure, said that uncertainty is part of what’s driving the campaign.

“The risk of our lease not being renewed—and being forced to find another building or not being able to find one—always exists,” Brok said.

“Purchasing our building provides a permanent home and ensures we remain in the city.”

By buying the building, Brok said MaTovu will be able to shift funding from rental payments to expand programming, community engagement and staffing.

Filling a Gap

According to the 2024 Greater St. Louis Jewish Community Study, roughly 22% of the region’s Jewish population lives in the city, but few Jewish institutions are located there.

Since its founding, MaTovu has tried to fill that gap—not as a traditional synagogue, but as something more flexible.

Programs are created and led by members—known as “Builders”—rather than directed from the top down.

On any given month, that might mean a nigun singing circle, a Jewish cookbook club or a Torah study session held in a bar or brewery.

Finding a Home

For Michael Tzinberg, a longtime member, that shift was personal.

“Before I got involved with MaTovu, my relationship to Jewish life was mostly professional,” he said.

“At MaTovu, I have really found my Jewish home.”

What he found wasn’t just programming, but a sense of ownership.

“That reflects a Jewish life that is so beautiful to me and motivates me to be more invested,” said Tzinberg.

Momentum — and What Comes Next

That investment—emotional and financial—has powered the campaign’s early momentum.

MaTovu spent the past year in a private fundraising phase, securing roughly 90% of its goal before going public.

Supporters have been drawn to both the organization’s model and its location, particularly the chance to sustain Jewish life in the city for a younger, more diverse group of participants.

What’s at Stake

For Tzinberg, the building adds another layer.

“I feel a connection to past generations of Diaspora Jews who created Jewish life for themselves in ways that were meaningful to them,” he said.

“It feels really special to be able to continue Jewish life in this space and this neighborhood.”

That continuity isn’t always visible in St. Louis.

But inside the building on Blaine Avenue, it’s already happening.

What isn’t settled is what happens next.

If the campaign succeeds, MaTovu plans to expand its programming, increase staff capacity and deepen its presence in the neighborhood.

But the most immediate change may be the simplest one: stability.

“Perhaps the greatest impact of this campaign will be what doesn’t change,” Brok said.

“Remaining in this historic home and continuing to invest in Jewish life in the city.”

The building is already something again.

Now, the question is whether it gets to stay that way.

MaTovu will host a public kickoff event for the campaign on Sunday, April 26 from 4 to 6 p.m., with additional details and donation information available at matovustl.org/buildingbelongingcampaign.