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.