Meet Our Founders
MARTINA R ZOBEL
I chose to live in Saratoga Springs over 30 years ago. My appreciation of the natural beauty, the cultural richness of Skidmore and SPAC as well as a “hamish” (welcoming) Jewish community has only increased over time. Now memories are linked to experiences share with grown children & grand-children all of whom live nearby. I am blessed to have work that I love as the Coordinator of Jewish Student Life at Skidmore.
When I downsized to a condo a few years ago I knew I
would miss my garden, working alongside my son Toren to
begin landscaping at Mah Tovu (Oh How Pleasant) Farm
has been filling the gap.
When I lived in Israel I had various experiences of community, life on an airbase, friends on Moshavim and living in an immigrant absorption center. In some ways the intensive trainings to become a therapeutic yoga teacher revived those experiences. I was reminded of the informal co-housing arrangement several families in our Beer Sheva apartment building created. One family would watch the kiddos, while another picked up groceries for us all at the (shouk) market. Or the casual and frequent exchange of meals and babysitting. Much of my life includes aspects of this in Saratoga, but what is missing is intention and proximity. Designing and growing STAND IC allows me to bring the finest elements of community living into being with like-minded souls. This is my legacy project, a chance to make a difference that lasts.
BERNICE MOELLER BLOOM
I am Bracha Moeller-Bloom, a founding vision-holder for
STAND Intentional Community. I have lived in the Saratoga
Springs area for 35 years and work in the community as a
nurse practitioner. My husband Gary and I raised our child
here. My vision of living in the STAND IC developed from a strong desire to share life’s experiences more meaningfully with the people around me. I want to embrace a lifestyle of selective interdependence combined with individual
freedoms. I believe that the sharing of work and ideas
makes us better people. Each of us is a creature of The
Divine’s making; all of us can use some help sometime and
all of us can provide some support in our own way.
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I believe deeply that creating a neighborhood structure that facilitates these pulses in our relationships is crucial. I want to live where the isolation we so typically experience is put aside and replaced with fellowship. I want a space of my own, across the way to yours! A gathering together of caring neighbors repairs a bit of the world that has become too isolated, insulated, and cluttered by superficial interactions. STAND SARATOGA is a Repair the World project.