Image: Marina Bardash Nebro
From Rabbi Goldenberg: How It All Began
Ten years ago, Jim, Amina, Ziv and I took a leap into the unknown and moved from Connecticut to Queens. After 13 years in the mainstream rabbinate and with a lot of support and coaching from colleagues, family, and friends, I had developed my own vision for a grassroots Jewish spiritual community rooted in contemplative practice, musical prayer, and progressive values. We knew we wanted to be back in New York City where Jim and I had lived as young adults, and where my family of origin now all lived. After a lot of research and many conversations with Jewish folks from Astoria to Woodside to Jackson Heights, it was clear that Western Queens was ripe for this project. With the trust and dedication of a small cluster of Queens Jews who soon became dear beloveds, we planted Malkhut in the summer of 2016. Since then, and not without setbacks and challenges, we have sprouted, thrived, and blossomed into this beautiful community.
The name Malkhut, meaning divine sovereignty, is also a play on the word for “Queens.” In kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), Malkhut is the emanation of Divinity that we experience in our minds, hearts and bodies, and in the world, as it unfolds from moment to moment in our awareness. Malkhut is also associated with “knesset Yisrael,” the collective gathering of our People.
It is with deep joy and gratitude to the Source of All that we celebrate the 10th anniversary of our own manifestation of Malkhut-ness here in Queens. May we return again and again to root ourselves in the vision, values, and story of this community. May we find joy, compassion, peace, and strength in our present-day cultivation of Malkhut qualities. And may the beauty and richness of our community continue to unfold and bloom for years to come.
On the occasion of Malkhut’s 10th year, this page brings together ways to share your story, support Malkhut, and plug into our anniversary season.
Save the date to celebrate: June 20, 2026
Join us Long Island City for an intergenerational Shabbat morning service in the morning, followed by an epic potluck lunch and party. The day will be filled with meaningful Malkhut moments of connection as we honor where we’ve been, celebrate who we are, and dream about what’s ahead. We will be sharing registration information in the coming weeks.
Support Malkhut as we bloom into the next decade:
We built Malkhut from the ground up, with many hands, hearts, and gifts from you. For 10 years, the collective generosity of this community has supported our growth from small, grassroots contributions to transformative large gifts. It took every kind of support, from every kind of person, to reach this milestone. As we step into our second decade, we’re raising $40,000 to sustain and expand this work of progressive Jewish spirituality in Queens. Every gift helps shape what comes next.
Share a clip for our anniversary video:
Malkhutnik and multimedia artist Jess Levey is creating a video montage and would love for you and your voice to be featured! The video will include clips of your well wishes and mazal tovs to Malkhut, answers to short prompts, as well as footage and images from the first 10 years of Malkhut. Click below to read more about the project, the prompts, and the submission guidelines.
Artist Statement, from Marina Bardash Nebro:
When I think of flowers in bloom, I see the flora in its entirety, as well as the individual petals that make it whole. So too, with Malkhut in Bloom. Malkhut as a community is a beautiful flower, but each and every person is a petal in its creation. Inspired by the concentric circles of Malkhut's logo, representing the sefirot or divine qualities we hold as a community and as people, the flower here layers all of these traits: lovingkindness, strength, beauty, endurance, surrender, foundation, and Queendom! It is crowned with 10 jewels, 10 majestic years of Malkhut. The hands that uplift our community are rooted trees and represent the responsibility we all have to ensure Malkhut unfolds into a bright future. As a textile artist, I utilized recycled fabric scraps and beads.