Our History + Accomplishments

Larry Kaplan is the founder of Mercaz Philly, a youth group for Jewish teens. A Philadelphia native and a graduate of Central, Temple, and the University of Pennsylvania, he holds a master’s degree in education and taught for many years in the Philadelphia area. He has also built several successful businesses and trained professional athletes as a sports specialist. Larry considers himself a lifelong educator and child advocate, with decades of experience leading Jewish teens, from organizing buses to a Washington rally co-founding Philly Unity Project (Philly UP), an interfaith youth collaborative.

Since its founding in 2023, Mercaz has brought more than 200 teens together for everything from comedy nights, movie nights, and ice skating to interfaith dialogues, volunteer projects, and conversations with antisemitism educators and faith leaders. The group has even taken a trip to Aruba to visit Aruba Chabad!