Danielle's Personal Blog

My first three months in Moishe House has flown by faster than any three months I can remember. I was in class all summer (my Masters in Elementary Ed is only 10 months so they really rush it and slam us with work), but I managed to find time to paint murals of the outdoors all over my new room (the Redwoods, Mt. Rainier, the South Carolina sunrise and/or the sunset in Netanya (whichever I feel like saying it is that day), and the Sonoran Desert in Arizona). The adjustment back to indoor city-living after 2 and 1/2 amazing years of traveling and camping was slightly heartbreaking (i miss you nature!!!), but at least with sukkot, I have an excuse to sleep outside again, which I very much enjoyed doing in our sukkah last night!

After spending Sept adjusting to taking 5 classes, working 2 full days a week in a 5th grade classroom, and nannying 3 days a week after school (ie spending Sept adjusting to never sleeping and drinking coffee like it's water), I'm ready to take more ownership in designing Moishe House events. I'm especially excited about bringing in my passion for sustainability; for example, by designing an event around the International Day of Climate Action on Oct 24th (350.org... there's probably one happening near you!)

ps We had an amazing local foods brunch in our Sukkah today with a speaker from the Urban Nutrition Initiative (a nonprofit group that gets kids eating and growing healthy food) that got me really psyched about reconnecting with my Environmental Ed roots

pps Our house compost has been cookin' away since my 2nd week in the house and is starting to look look like soil :)

Ari from SF after a huge SF weekend

This past weekend in San Francisco were some great options for activities. There was Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, a 3 day free music festival with 80 bands (including some big names) in Golden Gate Park. The festival draws around 500,000 over the three days, and with the beautiful weather this weekend it seemed as great as ever. If you're not into that scene, there was "Love Fest" in the Civic Center right near City Hall. I went last year and saw all the half (or fully) naked people cruising around, listening to techno and just having a good time. A few great exhibits opened up at local musuems, and the 49ers also played in SF this weekend. All week I was looking forward to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, possibly meeting up with some friends at Love Fest, and going to the 49ers game on Sunday. Unfortunately I had to work, and the extent of my outside time consisted of 2 hours at the bluegrass festival. As my grandma would say, "such is life." And it's true.

When things don't go to plan, or if a seemingly huge inconvenience hits you, I think it's so important to evaluate the actual importance of what you're facing. Would I have preferred going to the events around SF this weekend over working? Obviously. But you can't win them all. If I were to complain to everyone about how I had to work all weekend, what would happen if something came up that was serious enough for me to actually complain about? I'd have no credibility, people would just caste me as a complainer. And even worse, I'd get caught up the negative feelings associated with "working a weekend."

This all centers around being appreciative and realizing when complaining is really worth it. It helps a ton to realize this notion considering we all live in Moishe Houses with multiple roommates. Here's to a great next weekend!

Michael Scott, Boats, and Team Dynamics

“Leadership. The word ship is hidden inside leadership, as its derivation. So, if this office is in fact a ship, as its leader, I am the captain...But we’re all in the same boat. Teamwork!” Michael Scott, of the hilarious TV show, The Office, was quoted saying this. As ridiculous as this quote sounds (and most everything Michael Scott says), it does have some truth to it. I think you can learn a lot from shows like The Office. Besides getting a good, hardy laugh from Michael Scott, I've actually found that analyzing characters' behavior and group dynamics in the show has occasionally given me some perspective into teamwork and leadership.

Living in a Moishe House, strong team dynamics and teamwork is essential in building a successful, vibrant community and staying happy as a resident.

In just three short months living in Moishe House Orange County, I have definitely learned the importance of teamwork and being in the same boat with my fellow residents. I am really thankful to be with the Moishe House organization, as the organization deeply invests in every resident, in order to equip us with the leadership tools to create a successful community and success and happiness in our own life. From Day 1, the Moishe House team has supported our house and helped us work as a crew on the same boat. This emphasis on teamwork has paid off as we have begun envisioning and building the type of community we want to build and be a part of! The great thing about Moishe House though is that, unlike Michael Scott and The Office, there is no one who sees himself or herself as the captain. We are all part of a vibrant, cooperative team working to create the type of community we want to build and be a part of! Not one person dictates, but we are all equal partners and crewpeople rowing on this ship together in the same direction!

Maybe the Moishe House "ship" or team watches The Office as much as I do, or maybe they don't, but whatever they're doing is working! I just had an idea...in this age of technology if we incorporated media, such as The Office into certain work and life situations, and used it as teachable moments, we could help develop leaders and team dyanmics in a fun, innovative way that our generation can relate too. Perhaps if we all watched The Office, not only would we all get a good laugh, but maybe learn a couple things about group dynamics and leadership styles. Just a thought? Brilliant or ridiculous!?!?! I guess I'll find out when I try it at work this week with the students and staff I work with! I'll let you know how this experiment goes in my next blog. Until then...

Shana tova!
Justin Young

community involvement and 1-800

getting the community involved........

for 1-800 this time, i wanted to really get the moishe house people more involved in making this event. giving people responsiility towards event and giving them ownership gives them pride in what they are doing and increases involvement and action. the event was huge this time...everyone took on a piece of the puzzle and shared a piece of the pie at the end. developing leadership amongst peers is one of my goals and this event was a great example of that development.

MHSF - Sarah Curtin (personal blog)

Something I've learned recently is the value of sitting down, as a crew, and planning out the month. Usually, that's our house's style, but the past few months things have been a bit disjointed due to lots of summer vacations, etc. Dave was out of town working at a summer camp, Danny was off leading teenagers through Costa Rica for a month, and Ari and I took turns taking little weekend get-away trips. So, instead of sitting down and having a house meeting, we were doing things and trying to coordinate via massive email chains. It's worked alright, but really ended up being much more confusing, and much more time and work for us all I think than having a one-time meeting. Not only is it more efficient, it's also more fun. It's nice to take a moment if possible to all find a time to just sit and chat, snack, and make the plans. You have to schedule it in advance though, especially in a house with a full-time grad student and elementary school teacher, a corporate lawyer, and a hard-working social worker all with very full days, nights, and weeks!!!

Its a great time to be a Colorado Sports Fan

The Broncos are 4-0!!!! The Rockies are in the Playoffs!! Who would have thought.

After a crazy offseason, no expected the Denver Broncos to win 3 games the whole year. Guess what, thanks to a totally revamped defense, we are 4-0! Already passing the projected 3 wins. So far (despite the Cutler saga) Josh McDaniels proved to everyone that he knows how to coach, and lead a professional football team.

This past June the Rockies found themselves at the bottom of their division with no hope in sight. Then came the new manager Jim Tracy. What a turnaround! We are now playing in our second postseason in three years, and have the pitching to make some noise in the playoffs.

In both cases, it seems like coaching is key. Similarly with Moishe House, we as residents are the coaches. We have the opportunity to guide, and make a huge impact on our community members. We can make difference the often forgotten Post Grad Age Group!

Wishing you all success, and oh yeah, Go Denver,Colorado,

Joey

Hoboken House Goals

Every Moishe house is a unique adventure in building Jewish community. Creating a community in Hoboken where there is limited Jewish life, a large population of young Jews, but the city (New York, c'mon is there really any other?) with its all encompassing and in your face Jewish options it has been an interesting and rewarding adventure. From out of the proverbial desert a uniquely welcoming community has been born. Whether it's our Shabbat dinners, our intellectual/spiritual salons, our partying ability, or one of our tikkun olam events, we have made something special. The question now is where do we want to go.

In one year:

The year is 2010. The world is still in economic turmoil. Hoboken is still overrun by yuppies. Moishe House Hoboken has evolved from an community center/apartment in a house with events programed by residents to a movement of Jews in town with a Community Leadership Board. Included in the Community Leadership Board are the resident but programing ideas come from non-residents and residents alike. Most programs still happen on site but once a month Shabbat dinners are at a community members house (the other Shabbusim are still held in the house), and salons, poker nights, and movie nights are held every other time in a community members abode. We have developed local partnerships with regional Jewish foundations and organizations to reach new people. Whether its local organizations or building stakeholdership in the Hoboken Moishe Community, its all about the synergy.


In the year 2012:

One in three Moishe House Hoboken residents believes the world will end in 2012. So if perchance it does not, 2012 will be a very different year for Moishe House Hoboken. There will be atleast one new resident, as I, Joshua Einstein, will hopefully have moved out. Worry not I will still be involved. Regardless, 2012 will see Moishe House Hoboken in an actual house. Atleast half of Moishe House Hoboken programs will happen in community members apartments or other locations. Still sometimes programs will call for a bigger space and living in an apartment and hence minus a yard, in some ways limited Moishe House Hoboken's activities. No super large BBQs, no Moishe community Sukkah, etc... Not that these were crucial but living in an actual house will enable the Moishe House Hoboken of 2012 to really expand the size of their programs.

Moishe House Hoboken 2012 will have not only a Community Leadership Board but will have a Board of Governors. Its not that this Board of Governors will be mega-millions (though it wouldn't hurt if there was atleast one) but as our local partnerships have developed it is only right to bring on local partners, Moishe House Hoboken alumni, and a few members of the community board for some sage guidance.

Penultimately, with my influence diminishing Moishe House Hoboken will by 2012, finally have a sports team with T-shirts. Programing wise, we will have Shabbat dinners every Friday night - 3 dinners will be in community members homes and mega-dinner in the Moishe house. By 2012 the salon genre of events will have spawned a speakers club that will feature up and coming intellectuals to come, speak, share wisdom, and challenge the community.


2014:

In 2014 the Republicans will sweep the midterm House elections. Barack Obama will be in the middle of his second term and I will be 32 years old. Moishe House Hoboken, will continue to be a place of diverse and yet harmonious viewpoints. A place where everyone no matter how eclectic or mainstream, eccentric or normal, traditional or rebellious can and do get along. Moishe House Hoboken in 2014 will be an engine of social change. Its community will be involved in the future equivalents of the movement for ethical Kashrut, defining and redefining Jewish identity, tenant rights (a big issue in a city of 40,000 renters), etc.... I am certain I will be personally against some of the issues the Moishe House Hoboken Community of 2014 chooses to march on, but I most certainly will be proud to have been involved in creating a community of young Jews that care. The Moishe House Hoboken of 2014 will have taken the salons of the past, the speakers club, as well as the plethora of other intellectually challenging programing and given birth to a think tank. The think tank, as well as the other programing, in the Moishe House Hoboken Community will continue to attract young Jewish adults from all over New Jersey and New York as well as begin to delve deeper into issues facing the Jewish people. Moreover, by 2014 the Moishe House Hoboken Community will have begun expanding its programing into the Wall Street/downtown New York area (where more and more people are moving and which there is no community programing) and into neighboring Jersey city, specifically Jersey City Heights and the Newport neighborhoods. The Moishe House Hoboken Community will do what Moishe Houses do best and bring Jewish life to Jews in nearby but new areas. Enabling Jewish leaders in their 20's and 30's to define being Jewish on their terms and to create the community that they want.