We have some fun and exciting events planned for May, including a tele-shabbat with a few other east coast houses, which I'm sure will be fun (props to Stephanie from MH Providence for putting this all together!).
Sunday, May 3, 2009
April Blog
April was a good month of matza, spring vacation (which of course went by way too quickly), and finally some warm weather. I am quite happy that just last week I had the opportunity to meet Mike Nissenson, the Chairman of the Board, while he was in the city. It was great being able to get to know him and talk with him about Moishe House, and the great organization that it is. He is a great guy who has a lot of passion for Moishe House and everything they do. Ironically, Mike and my dad were colleagues for a few years in Los Angeles-I guess it really is a small world (or at least a small Jewish world)! This month we also hosted a shabbat dinner at the United Synagogue of Hoboken, the conservative shul in Hoboken, which was a great success. We had lots of new people, most of whom had never heard of Moishe House, and were very excited about it; they even gave us ideas of future events that they would like to see happen.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Mayyy MaYyYy MayyyYYyy , ohhh YaY! (that was for you, Jeremy ) !! :)
March was a great month for us! Shana and I had a really good weekend with Jeremy and we were glad to be able to finally put a face with a name/voice! We celebrated my wonnnderful roomies 25th bday and had a blast! Our Shabbat dinner went really well and We also had a really beneficial conference call about event planning, ideas, expectations, etc.. and have come up with a lot of new ideas and events to get people more involved! So far results have been great so we are excited for our upcoming events !
ohhh and in case anyone is interested .... Passover dinner went really well and my bf's parents loved me :) (I mean I cant blame them .. :)~ ) heheh..
As always, hope all is well with everyone :)
Much love,
Sima
ohhh and in case anyone is interested .... Passover dinner went really well and my bf's parents loved me :) (I mean I cant blame them .. :)~ ) heheh..
As always, hope all is well with everyone :)
Much love,
Sima
Friday, May 1, 2009
MHSeattle, Neal Schindler, 5/1/2009
Since Moishe House's West Coast director, Summer Shapiro, will be visiting us starting Wednesday, and she hopes to get to know us better and more fully understand what our house is trying to achieve, this seems like a good moment to reflect on my time thus far at Moishe House Seattle. I became a resident at a time (last August) when I was still hurting from a fairly recent breakup and in need of community more than ever, and I found a tremendously lively, enjoyable group of people -- new friends, in practically no time -- at the little house on 23rd Avenue Northeast.
The first event I attended was Coffeehouse, and I remember thinking: Who are all these passionate, interesting, smart, wonderfully nutty people? I'd been attending a potluck at another communal house for a couple of years, and I liked the people there and came to expect great food every Tuesday, but my experience didn't always end up being greater than the sum of its parts -- I was recognized and appreciated, but I didn't quite belong. Almost immediately at MH Seattle, I realized that my sense of humor, my point of view, and my idiosyncrasies would all be "gotten" by pretty much everyone, whether Russian, American, Israeli, or Iranian. I'd never understood how spending time with a group of Jews could be more comfortable, at least in certain ways, than being in a random crowd, but it finally made sense by the end of Coffeehouse. When Tamar and one of the guests performed a number from Fiddler on the Roof that elicited gales of laughter from the audience, I saw a liveliness and humor and ease of being -- the sign of people who have let their guard down -- I'd rarely witnessed in group settings in Seattle.
For me, MH Seattle has been not only the answer to the questions "How do I take part in the Jewish community without feeling uncomfortable?" and "How do I find a community where I feel like I belong?" but also a solution to the problem of Seattle's notorious social chilliness, which means superficial friendliness without a deeper, more lasting warmth (and investment of energy) to follow. At Moishe House, residents and regular guests alike have committed to building a community unlike all the others in town, a place where people who don't fit in elsewhere, or simply want a quirky alternative (or supplement) to the other Jewish events they frequent, can feel at home. Because a sense of home is what our Moishe House has given me, as well as the countless people who have come through our door. And in these turbulent times -- amid economic recession and swine flu -- the ability to feel happy at home is a true privilege.
The first event I attended was Coffeehouse, and I remember thinking: Who are all these passionate, interesting, smart, wonderfully nutty people? I'd been attending a potluck at another communal house for a couple of years, and I liked the people there and came to expect great food every Tuesday, but my experience didn't always end up being greater than the sum of its parts -- I was recognized and appreciated, but I didn't quite belong. Almost immediately at MH Seattle, I realized that my sense of humor, my point of view, and my idiosyncrasies would all be "gotten" by pretty much everyone, whether Russian, American, Israeli, or Iranian. I'd never understood how spending time with a group of Jews could be more comfortable, at least in certain ways, than being in a random crowd, but it finally made sense by the end of Coffeehouse. When Tamar and one of the guests performed a number from Fiddler on the Roof that elicited gales of laughter from the audience, I saw a liveliness and humor and ease of being -- the sign of people who have let their guard down -- I'd rarely witnessed in group settings in Seattle.
For me, MH Seattle has been not only the answer to the questions "How do I take part in the Jewish community without feeling uncomfortable?" and "How do I find a community where I feel like I belong?" but also a solution to the problem of Seattle's notorious social chilliness, which means superficial friendliness without a deeper, more lasting warmth (and investment of energy) to follow. At Moishe House, residents and regular guests alike have committed to building a community unlike all the others in town, a place where people who don't fit in elsewhere, or simply want a quirky alternative (or supplement) to the other Jewish events they frequent, can feel at home. Because a sense of home is what our Moishe House has given me, as well as the countless people who have come through our door. And in these turbulent times -- amid economic recession and swine flu -- the ability to feel happy at home is a true privilege.
Ari - MHSF
over the past year and a half i've been living in moishe house sf, i've come to recognize several things that lead to successful events. I've also seen a few things that tend to make events less popular, namely repeat events. perhaps this is unique to sf, but it seems like people enjoy new events, and they grow tired of repeat events. perhaps this is due to the allure of a new idea not being present, or perhaps it's just that less people want to do something they've already done. that said, there are certainly repeat events that maintain their popularity, like shabbat dinners, poker nights, and sports teams. however, some other events seem to fade after each time it's repeated. for me, those events are things like book club, movie nights, and cooking nights. while fun in moderation, these kinds of events tend to draw less people as they occur more frequently. like i said, maybe this is just an sf thing, but i thought some of you folks might be interested. cheers, and shabbat shalom. and happy may. speaking of may, how is 2009 1/3 over?
Outdoors at MoHoLo
The wisteria is blooming outside our door, there are bluebells pushing up through our lawn. It's been a pleasure to spend time in the garden this month. Last shabbat, along with some guests who had come round after shul, we ate lunch out there, gathering round a table filled with hummous, challah, cous cous salads and other goodies and basking in the sun. It's Lag B'Omer soon, and we have a pile of wood ready to make a bonfire.
I'm a big fan of outdoors Judaism - something which is a whole lot easier in Israel than in Britain, where any plans for a picnic or outdoors service or barbeque always need a back-up plan, just in case! But I'm feeling priveleged to be living somewhere where green and trees are never too far away.
I'm a big fan of outdoors Judaism - something which is a whole lot easier in Israel than in Britain, where any plans for a picnic or outdoors service or barbeque always need a back-up plan, just in case! But I'm feeling priveleged to be living somewhere where green and trees are never too far away.
Sawasdee (Joel, MHLondon)
Sawasdee from Thailand. Right now Rachel and I are at an internet cafe next door to Bet Chabad in Phuket. We're on a holiday ('vacation' to you Yanks) that Rachel won a year ago for designing a Thai cocktail. What a difference from our daily life in London and the Moishe House. Bangkok was hectic but since we got to the island bit of our holiday we've been relaxing by the pool, sitting on the beach and, yesterday, snorkelling on Phi Phi Island. On Sunday we're going on a three-day jungle safari.
Hopefully this should give us some perspective and we'll return refreshed and full of energy and ideas for Moishe House. Looking back on recent weeks it's hard to remember much - all seems quite a blur. David Allen's Getting Things Done has helped me a lot though, making much more organised and productive.
Now though is the time for further relaxation and enjoyment as we enter the last 5 days or so of our tropical break.
Shabbat Shalom.
Hopefully this should give us some perspective and we'll return refreshed and full of energy and ideas for Moishe House. Looking back on recent weeks it's hard to remember much - all seems quite a blur. David Allen's Getting Things Done has helped me a lot though, making much more organised and productive.
Now though is the time for further relaxation and enjoyment as we enter the last 5 days or so of our tropical break.
Shabbat Shalom.
Thai Tidings
We've recently been called the Post-Modern Chabad House. But in the meantime, Moishe Houses are just where there's enough thirsty post-modern Jewish community to warrant founding a permanent House. Joel and I have been in Thailand and are about to spend our second Shabbas at a real-deal Chabad House. There's actually around 400 Jewish people in Bangkok, plus countless Israelis, who are also down here in Phuket. Chabad House has become the benchmark for Jewish travellers who want some yiddishkeit with their adventure. Looking around last week I wondered how many of them would enjoy the kind of Shabbat we might have at MoHoLo (shomrei shabbas but egalitarian and carlebach-y). Maybe we shall never know...who else has the will and might to set up a global network of this magnitude. Yet we heard already there are some Chabad Houses in India who have split from the Chabad majority and now run without authorisation.
As we Moishe Houseniks offered Sukkat Shalom at Burning Man, as an alternative to the mainstream 'Black Rock JCC', so I wonder whether we might have a colourful something to offer in other parts of the world, where there are still only black and white choices.
As we Moishe Houseniks offered Sukkat Shalom at Burning Man, as an alternative to the mainstream 'Black Rock JCC', so I wonder whether we might have a colourful something to offer in other parts of the world, where there are still only black and white choices.
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