Communal housing (AKA co-housing) in its various forms, is catching on like wildfire, especially given what society is experiencing now with the Great Recession — "boomerang" children, young families, and aging baby boomers who suffer from unemployment, unaffordable housing, and physical isolation exacerbated by suburban sprawl. While the movement gained recognition in Denmark in the 1960s, co-housing is also a thoroughly Jewish concept rooted in the historical shtetls of Europe, and Israeli kibbutzim — housing and community resources built with a density that increases social connections; today it's recognized for reducing the financial and environmental impact of construction. Whether it manifests as an adapted warehouse in downtown Los Angeles or a rural agricultural collective in Yosemite, imagine a diaspora kibbutz as an opportunity to build diverse relationships and to explore alternative models of living.

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