Friday, June 4, 2010
June House Blog - Cleveland
This past winter we had a tikkun olam event involving volunteering at the Cleveland Food Bank. Our job was to sort donated food into different categories so that it could be further distributed to individuals, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and other organizations. We expected to have around 15 MH people attend. A few hours before the event which was set to take place in the late afternoon, the sky turned dark and stormy. There was then a large thunderstorm, followed by hail, and later snow. The driving conditions were especially bad in the area surrounding the food bank because it is located in an impoverished area of the city, and the roads in the surrounding neighborhood are poorly maintained. As the calls, text messages, and emails started to come in from MH participants canceling because the roads were too slick and they were hesitant to drive, it seemed to me that no one would come to the event at all. We considered canceling the event, but decided that we had already made a commitment to the food bank to volunteer. Moishe House residents were the only people from our MH group in attendance for the first 45 minutes of the 2 hour event. Eventually, other people started to trickle in, saying that the treacherous roads added up to an hour to their commute to the food bank. I was grateful that people came out and that not everyone was deterred by the driving conditions. Although supervising volunteers at the food bank seemed annoyed that we had people from our group show up a half hour before the end of the event, I thought it showed real dedication.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
MoHoLa Meaningful Moment
It's been a great first month. We (Micah, Steve, Jon, and Julie) are honored to be in charge of the Los Angeles chapter of Moishe house. If May is any indication of how our house will function then we're looking towards a successful year. We've seen relationships and friendships develop between strangers, we've created a warm space for the young Jewish community to congregate, and have created events that BP can't even contain, the fun is just pouring non-stop and has increased 20% since the kink knockout. It's difficult to choose one specific event/time that we can all say stood out above the rest. So we will talk about our first Shabbat as a house.
We hosted our first shabbat dinner, welcoming in our close friends and our families. We all felt a sense of pride and joy in being able to show everyone our house, and explain to them exactly what the Moishe House is about. We had a delicious dinner filled with matzoh ball soup, 3 different types of chicken, vegetarian chopped liver, babaganoush and a shmorgisboard of side dishes contributed by our guests. We did kiddush, shmoozed, and merrily enjoyed our evening. It was awesome for all of us to bring all of our friends together and introduce them to one another! We have already seen some sparks in the air, and can only imagine the friendships and relationships that will flourish. The shabbos spirit was in the air, and everyone could feel her.
Saturday evening, we attempted to have a havdallah event, and even though nobody outside of our house attended, we had a very meaningful havdallah service, amongst ourselves. Post havdallah, we had our first house warming party, and it was a great way to start the new week!
We look forward to the many more meaningful MoHoLa moments!
:)
We hosted our first shabbat dinner, welcoming in our close friends and our families. We all felt a sense of pride and joy in being able to show everyone our house, and explain to them exactly what the Moishe House is about. We had a delicious dinner filled with matzoh ball soup, 3 different types of chicken, vegetarian chopped liver, babaganoush and a shmorgisboard of side dishes contributed by our guests. We did kiddush, shmoozed, and merrily enjoyed our evening. It was awesome for all of us to bring all of our friends together and introduce them to one another! We have already seen some sparks in the air, and can only imagine the friendships and relationships that will flourish. The shabbos spirit was in the air, and everyone could feel her.
Saturday evening, we attempted to have a havdallah event, and even though nobody outside of our house attended, we had a very meaningful havdallah service, amongst ourselves. Post havdallah, we had our first house warming party, and it was a great way to start the new week!
We look forward to the many more meaningful MoHoLa moments!
:)
Mindfulness and Meaning in MoHOC
"Moishe house is the gateway drug [to Judaism]" Sara Mouser, MoHOC Participant
I decided to ask my roommates to contribute meaningful happenings from their time here.
"Seeing people come together and make new friends and take that new friendship to a new level means a great deal. As strangers become roommates, maybe start dating, make lifelong friendships; these are the moments that bring the depth of the Moishe House experience to light." Rae finds her meaningfulness in the unification of people who might have never otherwise met.
Mitch finds his muse in, "Helping people make friends, and not just the go and grab a beer type either; but the type of people you bring into your life that you can turn to and lean on when you need help. Even better is knowing that I, well we, have made a difference in the lives of those that pass through our doors. Personally, meeting my girlfriend, Alina, through the program is one of the most special things that has happened to me in my time here so far."
Me, I've been able to bring my non Jewish friends into a part of my life that they never previously ventured. I feel that sometimes we tend to segregate ourselves into compartments of Jews and Goy, having the opportunity to break down the "walls" between the two groups is really special to me. Being able to have the chance to invite non-Jew friends to try out Passover food, and be able to share a part of what makes me whole as a personal brings a deeper level of relevance to my Moishe House Experience.
Chicago's meaningful moment
The prompt brought to mind two moments in particular that I found particularly meaningful for our Chicago Moishe community.
The first moment was at a recent Shabbat dinner. A girl, Rebecca, who had come to one program arrived. Later, two of our regulars, Karin and Brendan, arrived. They all got to talking and while playing Jewish geography, they slowly came to realize that Rebecca was about to move in as a subletter in Karin and Brendan's apartment. They had not yet met. We were thrilled at this connection. Moishe House Chicago is coming to be a place where people with similar values come together. On a side note, Karin and Brendan moved away at the beginning of June. Moishe House played a very important role in their time here in Chicago. They said it was the first community of which they really felt a part and they always looked forward to our programs, especially our Shabbat dinners. We are super sad to see them leave.
The second experience that comes to mind is the program we planned with some of our community members for Shavuot. I (Hannah) am trying to explore Judaism and its traditions. I've never celebrated Shavuot, but I wanted to do it this year and I trusted there would be others out there looking for a similar experience. So I tapped some people that I thought would contribute well to program development and they were excited to help plan. We had a very successful event. 30 people attended, 8-10 of them were new too! I was thrilled to see that there is an appetite for more Jewish-learning oriented programs. Additionally, a handful of people that attended are not Jewish. It's important to us, at MH Chicago, that we develop a diverse and open community. So we were happy that a program celebrating a holy day still attracted our community members that are not Jewish. Finally, it was great to see the enthusiasm of the planning crew. They were grateful to have been asked to participate in that regard, and we were grateful for all the assistance they provided.
May there be many more meaningful moments.
Over and out.
The first moment was at a recent Shabbat dinner. A girl, Rebecca, who had come to one program arrived. Later, two of our regulars, Karin and Brendan, arrived. They all got to talking and while playing Jewish geography, they slowly came to realize that Rebecca was about to move in as a subletter in Karin and Brendan's apartment. They had not yet met. We were thrilled at this connection. Moishe House Chicago is coming to be a place where people with similar values come together. On a side note, Karin and Brendan moved away at the beginning of June. Moishe House played a very important role in their time here in Chicago. They said it was the first community of which they really felt a part and they always looked forward to our programs, especially our Shabbat dinners. We are super sad to see them leave.
The second experience that comes to mind is the program we planned with some of our community members for Shavuot. I (Hannah) am trying to explore Judaism and its traditions. I've never celebrated Shavuot, but I wanted to do it this year and I trusted there would be others out there looking for a similar experience. So I tapped some people that I thought would contribute well to program development and they were excited to help plan. We had a very successful event. 30 people attended, 8-10 of them were new too! I was thrilled to see that there is an appetite for more Jewish-learning oriented programs. Additionally, a handful of people that attended are not Jewish. It's important to us, at MH Chicago, that we develop a diverse and open community. So we were happy that a program celebrating a holy day still attracted our community members that are not Jewish. Finally, it was great to see the enthusiasm of the planning crew. They were grateful to have been asked to participate in that regard, and we were grateful for all the assistance they provided.
May there be many more meaningful moments.
Over and out.
Meaningful MoHouse Philly
The evening of Moishe House Philly’s 2nd Annual, super classy, incredibly scrumptious, holiday Shabbat feast had finally arrived. Unsuspecting MoHouse Philly resident Alissa Worly was seated next to the dear friend of her roommate Danielle, a friend that would change the course of her life forever. The evening was filled with overflowing merriment, wine & spirits, and - of course because we are Jewish - great food. As the evening wore on and the mood lighting kicked in, Danielle’s friend became more and more convinced it was time to make her move or the opportunity might be lost for forever—she impulsively turned to Alissa and popped the age-old, tried and true question that’s been responsible for more than a handful of Jewish matrimonies: “Are you single?” Luckily for the friend, Alissa’s reply was a “Yes!” pronounced with at least 85% certainty.
To cut a long, meaningful story short—mysterious friend was none other than Ilana Jerud, dutiful sister, who was hitting on Alissa for her very eligible bachelor brother, Elliot Jerud. Once Ilana’s matchmaking genius set the ball rolling, Alissa and Elliot mutually swept each other off their respective feet. The crescendo-ing romance included scooter rides, sushi-making, skiing, and watching television under the protection of a giant umbrella. Oh, and SEATTLE. Yes, the happy ending is that this happy couple is now moving to Seattle together where Elliot will work at a hospital while Alissa gets her PhD in psychology. “We’re really PSYCHed about this move!” They told me one day when they didn’t realize I was interviewing them. “The Groupon deals in Seattle are sooo much better than in Philly!” When asked about her uncanny matchmaking abilities, Ilana explained, “It’s simple really. My brother is a Virgo, the Virgin, the Earth element and Alissa is a Sagittarius, Centaur, Fire—it’s a match made in the stars…” She paused for a moment before motioning me to lean in and whispered with a knowing nod, “They both have six letters in their first name and five letters in their last name.”
We leave our dedicated blog readers with a question to ponder—what will be the most lasting mark Alissa Worly and her boo will make on the Jewish community as they set forth on their new lives?
1) Moishe House Seattle?—specializing in psychoanalyzing and curing your most pressing mental and physical ailments.
2) Doubling the Jewish population of Sealand—the most beautiful island nation built on concrete stilts—during their honeymoon.
3) "MoHouse Baby" bibs. Or perhaps a little onesie that reads, “Ima and Abba met at MoHouse” ???
The possibilities are endless, but one thing's for certain--
Moishe House Philly will miss you, Alissa!
Meaningful Story from Moishe House Portland
There's clearly a lot that's meaningful about experiencing Moishe House.
Here we realize that we, as residents, are sometimes out of touch with our participants, which is why we strive to ask them what they're interested in doing for events, and what their Jewish/social needs are. So first of all, I think it's necessary to acknowledge that when we (residents) are at events and notice two people we know introducing each other for the first time, it's kind of a weird feeling. We realize that we are in a position of responsibility, to bring people together for these events. We become aware of our centrality to Moishe House. We see everyone who comes to events, but sometimes we forget that if they don't come to the same event, these participants don't see each other. It's a cool feeling to realize that you're helping people make connections, and that others are benefiting from Moishe House's services. Chance meetings can turn into job opportunities, relationships, friendships, or just a more cohesive Jewish community. It's also rewarding because we as programmers can get our blinders on and get really focused on what it takes to make an event happen. It's good to see that ultimately, people other than ourselves reap benefits from these efforts.
As a microcosm of a team of roommates and professional programmers, I think our bonding experiences together are most memorable. The memories of house meetings, house retreats, and sitting around talking and joking late at night will be what I sit back and remember years from now. I still remember when Rachel and I first moved in last year. Jeremy was here but Jodi was still out of town. I think everyone was excited about the new changes in roommates, and we fed off that energy. One night, the three of us went to some stupid bar close by and played pool and darts. Then we found out that Rachel was really good at darts. Which is funny because Jeremy didn't know her previously, but I knew her growing up, and it was good to reconnect. She did go to college in NY after all--and she must have picked up darts at some point! Haha.
There are other memories too: our first in-house retreat with our old "House Dad" where we led each other through silly home-made obstacle courses on the floor and enjoyed a Shabbat together. There's the retreat we took to Whistler, where we spent 7 hours in the car together each way in addition to enjoying a new part of the world and experiencing the local Jewish communities in Vancouver and Whistler. And then there's all our meetings. We've made meeting on a weekly basis a huge priority. Half of those meetings are all business at home. Some of them fizzle out because some of us are tired or have something else going on. Then a good portion of them are spent out somewhere getting drinks, so that we enjoy the time together in addition to getting through some business stuff. Since we've been doing this weekly, we've been getting a lot done. It also gives us the opportunity to check in with each other, know what's going on in each others' lives, and have fun.
A learning experience from living in Moishe House is that it's important to put in the effort to maintain great relationships with other housemates, and also to take the opportunity to step back, get some perspective, and see what kind of affect the work you are doing is--or isn't!--having on the surrounding community.
Here we realize that we, as residents, are sometimes out of touch with our participants, which is why we strive to ask them what they're interested in doing for events, and what their Jewish/social needs are. So first of all, I think it's necessary to acknowledge that when we (residents) are at events and notice two people we know introducing each other for the first time, it's kind of a weird feeling. We realize that we are in a position of responsibility, to bring people together for these events. We become aware of our centrality to Moishe House. We see everyone who comes to events, but sometimes we forget that if they don't come to the same event, these participants don't see each other. It's a cool feeling to realize that you're helping people make connections, and that others are benefiting from Moishe House's services. Chance meetings can turn into job opportunities, relationships, friendships, or just a more cohesive Jewish community. It's also rewarding because we as programmers can get our blinders on and get really focused on what it takes to make an event happen. It's good to see that ultimately, people other than ourselves reap benefits from these efforts.
As a microcosm of a team of roommates and professional programmers, I think our bonding experiences together are most memorable. The memories of house meetings, house retreats, and sitting around talking and joking late at night will be what I sit back and remember years from now. I still remember when Rachel and I first moved in last year. Jeremy was here but Jodi was still out of town. I think everyone was excited about the new changes in roommates, and we fed off that energy. One night, the three of us went to some stupid bar close by and played pool and darts. Then we found out that Rachel was really good at darts. Which is funny because Jeremy didn't know her previously, but I knew her growing up, and it was good to reconnect. She did go to college in NY after all--and she must have picked up darts at some point! Haha.
There are other memories too: our first in-house retreat with our old "House Dad" where we led each other through silly home-made obstacle courses on the floor and enjoyed a Shabbat together. There's the retreat we took to Whistler, where we spent 7 hours in the car together each way in addition to enjoying a new part of the world and experiencing the local Jewish communities in Vancouver and Whistler. And then there's all our meetings. We've made meeting on a weekly basis a huge priority. Half of those meetings are all business at home. Some of them fizzle out because some of us are tired or have something else going on. Then a good portion of them are spent out somewhere getting drinks, so that we enjoy the time together in addition to getting through some business stuff. Since we've been doing this weekly, we've been getting a lot done. It also gives us the opportunity to check in with each other, know what's going on in each others' lives, and have fun.
A learning experience from living in Moishe House is that it's important to put in the effort to maintain great relationships with other housemates, and also to take the opportunity to step back, get some perspective, and see what kind of affect the work you are doing is--or isn't!--having on the surrounding community.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
MohoDen soccer game with Nene
Yes, we played soccer with the star center for the Denver Nuggets out in front of our house at Wash Park. Weighing in at 250 lbs, 6'11" - he was pretty good. I gave him an assist for a goal, with at least 100 people watching on the sidelines of our pick-up-in-the-park game. I suppose makes sense - as he's from Brazil - here's his profile: http://www.nba.com/playerfile/nene/
Jodi, thanks again for the soccer ball! we've put it to good use and been sporting our USA shorts recently for most moishe house picnics/field days... best, josh.
ps - al gore and tipper decided to separate today after 40 yrs married! crazy.
Jodi, thanks again for the soccer ball! we've put it to good use and been sporting our USA shorts recently for most moishe house picnics/field days... best, josh.
ps - al gore and tipper decided to separate today after 40 yrs married! crazy.
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