multi-city tele-Shabbat!

This past Friday, May 15th 2009, witnessed the first ever multi-Moishe House tele-Shabbat! But lemme rewind for a sec...

As the proud Moishe hosts and hostesses that we are, we all host Shabbats, oftentimes on the same nights and – if we're in the same time zone – at the same time. Meanwhile, we go about our Moishe activities independently, oftentimes with little more than Jeremy's mentions of each other to cultivate a sense of connection between us. So the intention here was to use videochat as a medium for multiple houses to celebrate Shabbat together. And thus, Providence, Hoboken, DC, and Philly got together and planned a simultaneous Shabbat, using iChat to transform videochatting screens into portals connecting our houses; hence a multi-Moishe House tele-Shabbat.

Ah, but technology has a temperament of its own: at T minus almost zero, our network went down (NOTE: FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER) and was unable to even connect to the internet, so we had to hop onto another weaker one. Jeremy was having difficulties tuning in. There wasn't sufficient bandwidth for the four houses to iChat together. People in cities across the country were getting hungry and impatient (ok fine, only four cities, and our guests were not only forgiving but amused). So at T minus slightly past zero, I made the executive decision to split up into pairs – DC with Philly, and Hoboken with us (Providence). Hoboken and us did a communal Kiddush, led by Nathaniel in Providence (captured in the video above and also posted on YouTube), and Hamotzi over the bread, led by David in Hoboken. Then it looked like Philly had gone offline, so we hooked back up with DC for a 3-way videochat to enjoy our meals together. We'd been nervous about the screens feeling supremely un-Shabbatish (un-Shabbish?) and people in remote houses not interacting with each other, but at least this aspect of the evening worked out absolutely impeccably. Our laptop was sitting at the end of our table, so we had our own conversation going while being able to see Hoboken and DC at the other end of the table, and people would periodically leave our conversation to interact folks in other houses. But because it was difficult to hear each other, interaction evolved into something more playful, visual, theatrical – the fellows at our table modeled our colorful wigs, Hoboken showed off their pet ferret (confirmed Jew), all three houses spontaneously broke into Redemption Song by Bob Marley. It was adorable and hilarious and precisely what we were hoping for. And although there were tech glitches at the actual event (profuse apologies, Philly), the planning process itself was precisely what we were hoping for – as I discussed in my previous post, it became its own way to connect more intimately with other Moishe Houses.

So voila: I'd definitely be down for an encore, and encourage other houses in the same time zone to consider the possibility...

MHSeattle, Neal Schindler, 4/1/2009

It's amazing how much bacon we've been eating lately. More than that, I'm astonished by how many raw oysters Joel has managed to consume each night of the past week. These occurrences, plus our decision to change Shabbat dinner to Tuesday nights, have really shaken up the house.

Or perhaps it's simply April Fools' Day. :-)

Our recent MH Seattle events have gone well. Sunday's sushi lunch (which I should have billed as Jewshi when I had the chance) attracted some diehard fans of raw fish (no oysters, of course) and extremely sticky rice, and the most recent bowling excursion was a pretty big hit, too. (Skating has been phased out now that spring is supposedly here, though it snowed today -- and that's no April Fools' joke.) Next month there'll be an African Music Night at the local Eritrean restaurant Hidmo; I'll probably pass, in order to avoid event burnout. Our MH Shabbatot have been successful in both Russian and generic Jewish flavors, and we have a MH seder planned as well for Passover, which should be quite the three-ring circus at our house, between the epic cleaning, epic grocery runs, and epic hosting duties.

I think the 22-to-30-year-old set is starting to really get what makes Moishe House, and MH events, different from the other events we plan, and I think expressing that distinction consistently, clearly, and firmly is what will keep MH Seattle afloat in the future. There really are plenty of Jewish twentysomethings in town who have somewhat offbeat taste in social and cultural events, and I think we can bring in a rising number of them. Word of mouth is still an important tool for us, but people also find us via Facebook, or via other Moishe Houses. We may have a friend of MH Philly staying with us after Passover; she's checking out Bastyr University in Kenmore and looking for a couch to crash on for a few nights. It's always fun getting to know someone from another part of the country, with unique experiences to share, and I'm looking forward to meeting and hosting her.

Based on my wonderful experiences at MH D.C. earlier this year, I could really get behind a slightly more organized MH exchange program whereby Moisheniks visit a few Houses other than their own each year. It's probably too much to ask, at this stage, for MH HQ to underwrite our travel expenses for such a venture, but maybe in the years to come...

Eli in DC: Taxation without Representation

What up Moishe Blog. I’m Eli, and I live in MHDC. Thus commences my long-avoided foray into the blogosphere -- guess I’m a bit late, but I expect to deposit something of relative quality here every so often.

A native of the Chicago, I forfeited my right to Congressional representation by relocating to DC from Israel a bit over four months ago. I moved into MHDC two months ago, which has been fantastic, albeit not without an expected challenge or two. Along with my MH Chicago colleagues, I was active in the Labor Zionist movement Habonim Dror for some 12 years, and I hope to bring some of that mad ruach and passion for community to my new digs in Adams Morgan.

MHDC is an incredibly dynamic environment, to which I look forward to contributing in myriad ways. I’m the newest DC Moishenik, and, in addition to lots of bizarre objects strewn about our house, Leo without a doubt left behind some large shoes to fill.

The events of which I’ve been a part thus far have made it clear that MH is becoming the scene in DC, especially for those who gravitate toward the organic vibe that our community offers. Shabbat dinners, which are attended by some 40-100 people on any given Friday, always seem to devolve into a pleasant Riesling-tinged chaos, and from Jewga to Mik Moore bagel brunches to board games to a chock-filled February, we certainly, and happily, have our plates full.

L’hit,

Eli

MHSeattle, Neal Schindler, 1/31/2009

I just returned on Monday from my ten-day East Coast trip, which included two nights in Washington, D.C., where I witnessed the Inauguration, albeit on a Jumbo-Tron in a crowded field of people just north of the Washington Monument. The mood was, as you might expect, distinctly joyous, and it's worth mentioning that my companions at the event were Rivka, Adam, and Steven of Moishe House D.C., plus their friend Maura. Our toes were cold, but we still enjoyed the festivities, and when President-elect Obama finally stood opposite Chief Justice Roberts to become President Obama, we weren't paying attention to how chilly it was. If you're interested in my experience, I suggest you check out the article I wrote for Jew-ish.com.

Winter is proceeding fairly comfortably here in Seattle; today there's even sun. I have a new part-time job, at Childhaven, a nonprofit that provides therapeutic child care for kids one month through five years old who have been affected by abuse or neglect. It's a great organization that does really good work, and I like my coworkers a lot. It's also the first job I've ever had that requires business casual attire, something I've grown to appreciate in the last few weeks, since almost everyone looks better in a dress shirt and slacks than in jeans and a sweatshirt. I think not looking like a college student every day of my life is a plus, not a burden.

Anyway, I have to go upstairs and bake some chocolate-chip cookies for a friend, and then maybe watch Mad Men in my room, unless the sunshine compels me to get back outside and enjoy it. Hope all's well at your various Moishe Houses!