MHSS Teamwork!

Both the meetings and emails keep every Moishe House Silver Spring resident on the same page and working as a team.  Generally our MH has house meetings every 10 days or so.  However, a number of emails are sent out daily pitching ideas for new events or brainstorming how we should organize a certain event. Each house members brings a little something different to the table, whether is creative weekly listserve emails, different outreach methods, jewish programming, justice programming, a car, a camera,... you get the idea.  After living with the same people for a few months, you begin to know who to go to for different questions. 

At our house meetings we address two main topics: house stuff & event stuff. It's important to make sure any house frustration are discussed and resolved so we can all enjoy each others company and focus our energy on events and our community.  Then we start with events, in chronological order we touch base on each event already on the big house calendar, who's the point person, what she/ he needs from the rest of the house, who can be there, logistics, and any other questions.  Then we throw out new ideas for either the upcoming months or to put it in the 'bike rack' for future months.  Because each house member has different interests, we do an incredible job of having a mix of events (i think a variety of events is a goal that we don't need to put much energy in).  More recently, we've been involving some of our more active communty members in helping suggest and plan some events.  This has been very successful. 

I am going to take an upcoming event, Food Justice BBQ, as an example to describe how as a house we work as a team.  Next week we are hosting this very exciting and large event.  This event will focus on justice and envirnomental issues and also how they are jewish issues.   MHSS was fortunate enough to get a grant for this event, which was achieve by the work brainstormed in a house meeting (We are purchasing local, organic kosher meat to bbq and local and organic produce for the vegetarians and side dishes. During the event we will have some presentations around the food, justice, envirnomental, jewish theme.)  and two of the housemates writing up the grant proposal.  In preparation for the event, different house members have different responsibilities.  One person is working on coordinating speakers and another person is focusing on the food.  Of course, I don't want to forget that two housemates had to go pick up another grill, which due to the size of the grill and size of the car turned out to be a more challenging errand than expected.  The house will definately be working as a team in preparation for the event, we have lots of chopping, dicing, mixing and cleaning.  All house residents are planning to help out after shabbat starts and the sunday morning before the event starts.  We've also all be recruiting volunteers to help out.  We're all very exciting for this event, and it wouldn't have been possible without teamwork!