Reach out! (Le freak, c’est chic.)

Ah yes, the question of outreach. At this early juncture in Moishe's existence, we find ourselves in an awkward transitional moment: many of the people in our communities are on Facebook, and fewer are on Twitter, while some relegate all of their digital communications to email. Meanwhile, many – if not all – are Facebook-fatigued and ever-weary of the monstrous abyss known as their "inbox." So, at Moishe House Providence, we leverage a diverse portfolio of outreach mechanisms, including an email list, Facebook profile, Google calendar, and text message reminders on the day of the events. This diversity allows us to reach people where they're at, and allows them to connect with Moishe House PVD via their preferred medium. Peeps can opt out of our email list and connect via Facebook, or opt out of both and simply get Google cal reminders. That said, not all media are created equal. Facebook has the advantages of 1) facilitating social advertising so that, for example, when someone clicks "Attending" to one of our events, that action shows up on their friends' feeds, which of course entices them to come to the event, and 2) enabling media aggregation, so that people can post photos and videos from our events in one pool (which we can then happily cull from when posting the event to the Mintranet). But alas, at the end of the day, what works best is a direct phone call or in-person invitation. Despite/due to the explosive emergence of new information and communication technologies, a personal touch matters that much more.

Outreach in Moishe House Boston

The blog's prompt for this month asked about outreach/turn-out/recruitment to Moishe House Boston events. How do we attract new faces?

Before I became involved in the Moishe House community in Boston, I would have guessed that the best way to reach out to Bostonian Jews was through Web 2.0 technology. Send out to email lists! Post it on our Moishe House website! Announce it at local Gesher City events! Put it on Facebook.

Well, these communication forms are undoubtedly important and serve as an effective "heads-up" to the community members about upcoming events. Indeed, we send out a weekly email on Mondays that list all the upcoming events for the next two weeks, as well as maintain our own website and Google calendar so people can see for themselves what is going on.

But, in all honesty, we don't count on this technology as our major recruitment tool. Rather, we rely on good old-fashioned relationships. In our opinion, receiving one, or even two emails, isn't going to be enough to catch someone's attention, unless they are actively looking for things to do. The way we see it: everyone in our community is part of a network of relationships. The best way to get someone to an event is to have a friend ask him or her to come. (Think of the parties you go to-- or even family gatherings....it's all in the people you know). So, for any given event, we first set our goal for turn-out. Then, we ask all those involved in planning the event to identify and call a set number of people. So, for example, we have an upcoming housing justice event planned. We want to make sure that around 30 people come-- so the 7 people helping to plan it each committed to bringing 4 people. This, combined with the weekly email announcements and web advertising, has been a very successful recipe!

We also use our Shabbat dinners as a way to introduce Moishe House to new faces. Generally, our dinners need little specific turn-out effort, since, by now, word-of-mouth is enough to get a solid 50 people. So, we see Shabbat as a time to welcome new people, gauge their interest, and give them a little "taste" of our community. One way we do that is by having a "dvar tikkun" at Friday night after services-- a brief overview of a specific social justice project that someone in or allied with our community participates in. This introduces a concrete project that anyone in our community can get involved with, and perhaps more importantly, sparks conversations throughout dinner about other events/social justice intiatives/etc that we have on tap.

Finally, I would say that the most effective way to get someone to turn out to an event and stay engaged with the Moishe House community is through involving them in the planning process for the event. This is a surefire way to up the investment level, sense of ownership and pride, and feeling of community. Even giving someone a small task can increase his/her excitement level exponentially, since they now feel "part of something." I challenge you to try this within your community. I would love to hear what happens!

Happy Thanksgiving!
--Michelle, Moishe House Boston

jodi's blog

last month it was really nice celebrating all the chagim together with my housemates. we had a beautiful sukkah and danced all together on simchas torah. we had lots of shabbos and chag meals and many new faces got engaged. also, we went on a corn maze thing...and it was my first time....sort of scarey. speaking of scarey, i really need a vacation and speaking of the devil, i am finally taking one. dear diary......

our team blog

We are regularly interviewed by the local Jewish paper, and we have a good mutual relationship. They advertise our events and it allows us to show Moishe House to our community.
We have not been interviewed by other papers as regularly, so that could be exciting. This would give us the opportunity to explain what we do to people who do not necessarily come from a Jewish background. In this case, I would like to refer back to Moishe House Int'l's mission statement. I think the Portland residents would also add that we are a Shomer Shabbat and Kosher Jewish home for Jewish young adults in Portland--and we do things that Portland people do. We do sports leagues, hikes, engage with our communities in service and activism, see films, listen to speakers, learn in classes, and some completely random things. We bring the spirit of religiosity and Portland young culture together in a way that celebrates Jewish holidays year-round and connects different generations and sects of Judaism for shared Jewish and recreational experience. Some examples are parties in our Sukkah for Sukkot, in the synagogue for Simchat Torah, and Portland Jewish Events' co-sponsored events such as Purim parties and 1-800 Shabbat. (1-800 Shabbat is a meal match-up between small groups of young adults and local families for a traditional meal, followed by a cocktail party all for the young adults!)
I would hope that as we grow internationally we are encouraged to relate thematically Jewish events to our local communities and cultures. I also hope that the Moishe House resident network can grow in a way that is mutuall supportive and enriching. Ie: opportunities to visit and connect are so valuable for cross-cultural understandings of Judaism. Retreats boost morale and inspire ideas and motivate action. In addition, I hope the Moishe House staff grows to be more experienced, more supportive and supported by the foundations that will fund Moishe House. I hope Moishe House staff can grow in their abilities to be extremely creative with programs, culturally sensitive, and also very knoweldgable about Judaism.
Jewish community, learning and Tikkun Olam are certainly labels for the kinds of aspects that develop naturally from Portland Moishe House programming. However, I'm glad that Moishe House connects us to resources for information about these aspects of Jewish life and hope they will continue to do so, should we need it.

MOISHE BIG EASY STYLE

 MOISHE BIG EASY STYLE


      Surrounded by the sweet smell of barbeque, civil-rights activist Felicia Kahn was seated on our porch, spinning stories about New Orleans to a young volunteer from Connecticut. The unlikely pair had struck up their conversation during a party welcoming synagogue members to the Broadmoor neighborhood, where they had volunteered to build houses. As the hosts, Moishe House succeeded in integrating the communal values and social activism of Judaism within the greater context of community building in post-Katrina New Orleans.

      Moishe Nola—the Broadmoor house Jeff, Jon and I call home—is the New Orleans branch of the international nonprofit Moishe House.  When David Cyglieman approached me at the Professional Leadership Project (PLP) conference I had no idea what was in store..

      At first people were skeptical, due in part to New Orleans’ small Jewish population. Jeremy and David questioned whether there was sufficient interest to host five events per month, because of the drop in the overall population in the wake of Katrina. Yet we knew that if the house stuck to three basic missions, then Moishe Nola would be capable creating a unique, young Jewish community: 

1. Innovative and Comfortable Space: Create events and programs that reflect the diverse interests of our peers ranging from urban planning to cooking to guest lecturers.  
2. Pluralism:  Welcome people of all ages, religions and denominations and let them decide their level of involvement in our functions.
3. Commitment to New Orleans Community: Resolve to reside in Broadmoor and support the flood-damaged neighborhood’s recovery.    
   

 Our past events have been a success but as recovery transitions to revitalization and increasing events/affinity groups for young Jews emerge, Moishe Nola needs to re-examine how we can ensure its sustainability.  In it most basic terms, Moishe House's sustainability is dependent on people committed to organizing its mission.  While I know that we could find individuals that believe in the general Moishe House mission, our branch is interested to learn how other communities maintained program continuity while transition house members?  Additionally, Moishe NOLA needs to empower other young Jews and Jewish groups to use the Moishe House space.   For example, Jon Graboyes is on the Federation's Newcomer committee and hosted them at the Moishe House.  Working in the Moishe House context and hearing the success stories from Jon and other leaders, helped propel the committee to consider more flexible newcomer programming.  

  This example resonates with one of  Moishe House's greatest strengths, its commitment to empowering the programming decisions to be decided at the local level.  Truly, I think one of the overarching themes for Moishe House's mission is encouraging diverse and active Jewish participation.

Cheers,

Jeff, Jon and Gill  (JOSIE)

MH JHB - House Mission

The Mission of Johannesburg Moishe House

The mission statement of our Moishe House is based on the unique needs of the Johannesburg Jewish community. Young adults in this community often find it hard post-school to develop a sense of belonging in their Jewish World.

As such, Moishe House Johannesburg is about building a kehilla, one in which people feel at home, at our home, and one in which people know that on a regular basis they’ll be able to come and connect with their Jewish identity.

Equally, Jewish learning is of incredible importance to us as a house, and we work to provide a space for engaging in Jewish issues from a wide spectrum of thoughts. Regular Moishe attendees are encouraged to bring their own interests to the table, and not to simply rely on the house mates to stimulate thoughts.

Values inherit in Judaism are vital to what we are striving to achieve, as such the notion of tikkun olam and actually acting to better the society we live in is key to us as a house and as a communal space. We want to provide oppourtunities for Jewish youth to engage in a range of different outreach programmes.

We think that these ideas are key to the mission of Moishe House, not just in Johannesburg, but worldwide. Moishe House is a place, but also so much more. We must maintain a sense of community, so that we can learn together, build together, and work together. So that the house becomes a symbol of something much more powerful.

Denver House Blog

Moishe House Denver on the Future of the Organization

Imagine your Moishe House has been chosen by a local newspaper to discuss the future of the organization as a whole in the long term - what would you say?

MoHoDenver was recently interviewed by the Intermountain Jewish News. Our thoughts and views will be expressed in the article coming out in the next couple weeks! As a preview, we believe this organization is connecting with a new generation in ways that re-invigorate, re-engage, and re-connect with the growing young adult Jewish community around the globe.

What would you say is the mission statement for your local Moishe House?

To serve as a hub and welcoming home environment for the young adult Jewish community. Our vision is a place where we can engage, connect, and learn, while also creating our own unique vision of an ideal Jewish communal space that connects with the larger community through tikkun olam both locally, and globally.

How would you frame what might become the international Moishe House mission statement?

To serve as a hub for the young adult Jewish community to spend time together in a home environment, create our own unique vision of an ideal Jewish communal space, and connect with tikkun olam both locally, and globally.

How would you include concepts of Jewish Community, Jewish Learning, or Tikkun Olam in your explanation?"

To serve as a hub for the young adult Jewish community to spend time together in a home environment, create our own unique vision of an ideal Jewish communal space, and to explore, engage, and connect with jewish learning and tikkun olam both locally, and globally.