Thursday, December 9, 2010

Josh from Denver

This is the first blog of the new chapter of MoHo Denver. My name is Josh and with the help of my roomies Zack and Gil we have had the pleasure of participating in an awesome experience that has been tons of fun from the beginning. It definitely helps that we all love to cook and host people, but this has been the most hosting that I have done back to back in a number of years and I can honestly say that I couldn't be happier. All three of us are relatively new to Denver, me having been here the longest at a whopping year and a half, and since I started doing the Moho thing in August I have expanded my network of Jewish friends in this city tremendously. There is no doubt in my mind that without Moishe House I would be in a much smaller Jewish environment here. With that in mind I just want to give a huge shout out to Dave Cygielman who is the MAN. Not a day goes by that I don't appreciate living in the Moishe House and what opportunities have arisen in my life due to being a part of such an awesome idea.

We love to have fun in many ways by throwing sick dinners, playing and watching different kinds of sports, and partnering with other cool Jewish organizations in the city with some sweet activities and crazy fun parties amongst many other things. We plan on making MoHoDen even bigger and better than it is now. So as this year winds down and another begins I want to express our intentions of making this Moishe House a place that more and more Young Jewish adults can come to comfortably and feel as well as know that they are a part of this ever growing family.

Josh Benporat

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Hello everyone! Its Kiki here at MH San Francisco. While I am not a huge fan of the freezing SF weather, early sundown and propensity for rain (its actually pouring outside as I write this) that comes with this time of year, I really and truly love all the big holidays that come so close together- its like six weeks (or more!) of holiday goodness! Thinking about how much I love Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and New Years made me realize just how much I like living in MHSF. Beyond the opportunity to host events, meet new people and cultivate my Jewish identity, in the last few months I’ve really begun to feel at home in our moishe house. I love coming home to my roommates after work, cooking dinner with them and hearing about their days. I love that MHSF can be such an active part of the larger Jewish community, but the sense of family that being a part of my moishe house is what I have really grown to appreciate. At 26, I have lived in many different houses, different cities and with different roommates but that sense of personal community and comfort that I feel here is one which I know to be rare and I am so grateful for it.

In other fun news: we recently went to our regional retreat, and as someone who has been in Moishe House for a while now, I have to say that it was really great to meet up with all our fellow moishe houses and just get inspired to be a part of moishe house all over again. Even though the retreat was short, being there was like going to a family reunion- we are all connected by this awesome experience that is moishe house and while we all come from different places that connection is important to all of us. Because the retreat was actually in San Francisco this year, our house had the extra bonus of having some post-retreat visitors from Denver. It never ceases to pleasantly surprise me just how great Moishe House is at building relationships and bringing people together. I have met some amazing people through Moishe House- at events we have hosted and at retreats- and am just so excited to continue to be a part of the organization.

I hope has been enjoying a wonderful Hanukkah!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Becca November Blog

Hi, it's Becca here from Moishe House Portland. I've been unable to make it to the last couple retreats due to poorly-timed health problems. I guess I'll write about the last couple months at our house and what's been goin on!

I find it funny that I feel that I've reached a comfort with Moishe House programming right around the time our house's elders, Jodi and Jeremy, are moving on. Coming up with unique and exciting programming was daunting at first, and honestly, it still is. Over the last several months, I've noticed that we've got it down. It helps to remember our community's needs and the importance of diversifying events. Now we try to have 2 Torah learning events, 2 Shabbat dinners, a couple sports-like events, and fill in the rest with whatever else seems needed in that month. We usually split up the events among the 4 of us, but over the last several months, despite massive obstacles in my own personal life, I'm kind of proud of myself that I've been doing more like 3 events a month for the house instead of 1 or 2. It also helps that other organizations or groups in Portland reach out to us and want to co-sponsor. For example, a group of us went to Chabad's Chanuka celebration night at the Portland Blazer's game. In November, we did a really cool event with the Federation--2 teenagers from a coexistence-themed charter school in Israel flew out to speak to communities along the West Coast. It was important to the Portland Federation that the teens speak to young adults, in hopes to inspire them (slash "us") to get involved in this whole budding peace idea. What a concept, right? :)

So I suppose I'm excited about a few things. 1) Moishe House Portland is doing well. 2) I never thought I'd reach this kind of comfort level with being a Moishe House resident, but I have. And I love it so, so much. :) 3) Even though we have elders leaving soon, and it's sad, things are ok. And we're still finding time to get together and enjoy our last few weeks together. We had a "family movie night" this week, it was cute. And Julia, our new roomie, is already active in planning programs in Portland, which is way awesome. She pretty much single-handedly kick-started a Portland chapter of Challah for Hunger!

I love Moishe House! :)

Moishe Family

Happy Chanukah! The opportunity for me to blog about my experiences as a resident of a Moishe House couldn't come at more appropriate time, as we celebrate one of the 2 Jewish holidays that has been a constant throughout my life. I did not grow up in a particularly observant house as a child. In fact, until I neared the age of Bar Mitzvah, Chanukah and Passover were the only aspects of Judaism I honored regularly. Fast forward to the start of law school and we find me, for the first time, in a community where Judaism is prevalent. Professors cancelled class for the Rosh as well as Yom Kippur. At this same time, I met a resident of Moishe House Philadelphia and started attending an event or two every couple months. The more I visited the house, the more I learned about cultural Judaism and the more comfortable I became with Judaism playing a role in my daily, non-holiday life.


Skip another couple years forward and we find me a regular attendee of events at/organized by MHP. I'm also about to turn 27 and realize, that even with all I've become accustomed, there's a lot more. A lot more for me to learn, but a lot more for me to contribute. So I applied to be a resident of MHP, and the rest is היסטוריה.


Let's get to the good stuff.. my life as a resident. Moishe House has presented me with the opportunity, resources and vehicle to live an active Jewish life. My roommates are family. I had never known Havdalah before MHP. I had certainly never lived in a house honoring rules of Kashrut. Every day I feel Judaism coursing through my veins and heart. But it's not just grabbing a dairy dish for my bagel and cream cheese in the morning, or a meat bowl for the side of veggies I just boiled (in the appropriate pot, of course) for my kosher-chicken dinner. It's hearing something almost every day from a roommate (in the idea of family, they're all sisters - it's me and three girls, but that's another blog for another time!) about an experience she had in Israel, or a Yiddish word used so casually in conversation I barely notice it. It's sharing Shabbat. It's a conversation about Gilad Shalit or the Israeli forest fire near Haifa (one roommate has close friends local to the area) in our living room in the evening. It's being able to visit, 9 blocks away, the National Museum for American Jewish History with an Employee's Friends & Family pass from a roommate.


As a member of the Moishe House community, one can attend the holiday meals (and participate further by contributing a dish cooked in their own kitchen), hear the speech from the Editor of GRID magazine, bless the start of Shabbat, pick apples at Linvilla Orchards, shake the tuchas for the annual Apples & Hunnies party, learn about relationships and Judaism while drinking a beer (or glass of wine, or water, whatever the fancy) during a session of Topics on Tap and enjoy a roaring fire while sipping cocktails (coming up!!). We're talking about further engagement by gauging interest in community-led/hosted activities. But for many of those post-college members of the MH community, they don't have a local Jewish family to call their own. As a resident of Moishe House Philadelphia, I do.


~Cody

Sunday, December 5, 2010

The Beginning of My Moishe House Story

In June, at the age of 23, I moved from Los Angeles to New Orleans. After four years of living on-campus at Pomona College, arriving in New Orleans truly marked the beginning of adulthood. Looking back now, I would describe the period stretching from my bar mitzvah (age 13) until New Orleans (age 23), as an awkward and ambiguous decade; a decade of transition from boyhood to adulthood. New Orleans signified the end of that liminal existence, and the beginning of something new and unequivocal.

I felt my adulthood every day as I grapple with a million big and small decisions. I took a job as the assistant director of a youth development non-profit organization in New Orleans’ Vietnamese American community. I found a place to live two blocks from the Mississippi River. I discovered a JCC and decided to become a member. I began to meditate and go on walks each day. As I put the pieces of my new life together, I realized there were few restraints. There was no discernible path. There was no one evaluating my success, and no definition of success to which I was subjected. I could assemble the life I found most compelling and authentic—a prospect both liberating and terrifying.


It was within this context that I began thinking about my Jewish identity for the first time in years. Here I was in a new city creating a life for myself from the ground up. I felt no obligations to be Jewish in any way. The barrage of emails from Hillel, imploring me to attend this event or that event, was gone.  Even the not-so-subtle comments from my concerned mother about my level of Jewish engagement had petered out over time.


At first my thinking about being Jewish was fleeting and superficial: Should I go meet people at the Avodah house for Shabbat? Should I figure out a plan for the high holidays? These were short-term questions, practical in their nature. Soon they gave way to a deeper, more existential inquiry into myself as I realized that college had all but annihilated the Jewish aspect of my identity. I began to think: where is my Jewish self right now? How deeply has it been buried? How can it be embraced, nurtured, reintegrated?


College was the nadir of my Jewish self—a four-year hiatus. I had been uprooted from my family and home; from the sound of my father’s voice singing his ancestors’ hymns; from my temple; from the rabbi who lead my bar mitzvah ceremony; from the melodies and prayers that touched me. In college I found Shabbat services that bored me, melodies that I found entirely foreign, and Jewish programming that was alienating and often offensive. I was not interested in becoming a partisan in the Israeli-Palestinian on-campus propaganda war, nor was I interested in programming that I felt stifled my moral and intellectual maturation. In the beginning I engaged with, and attempted to alter, an on-campus Jewish culture that I principally disagreed with; eventually I got tired and stopped caring altogether.


In college the self-alienation I experienced happened gradually, almost without notice. In New Orleans I discovered the absence of my Jewish self as revelation, and it became piercing. Completely on my own, in this new city, I felt a sense of potential and longing. I wanted to feel my Jewish self again.  I wanted to marry my Jewish self with the rest of who I was—the rest of who I had become over the course of college—and continue down the river of my life.


This project felt urgent, though I had no idea how to start. I knew the window of opportunity would be open for only so long before I became entrenched in a new regime of habits, practices and thinking. If I were to build this new life without integrating my Jewish self, I knew something essential would be lost. Yet where was I to begin?


In July one of my new friends in the city approached me about Moishe House. Her timing was uncanny. She was about to join and mentioned that there was another opening. Taking it as a sign, I responded without hesitation, and moved into the house a month later.


No doubt I am still in the beginning phase of this new journey. My Jewish self is buried quite deep, I have realized, from years of decay and neglect. At times I am so used to being spiritually numb that it is hard stay the course. Yet through Moishe House there is something shifting within me—a sense of returning, even if it is gradual. I feel my Jewish self in the relationships I have formed here with others who are invested in a similar journey. I feel my Jewish self in the Shabbats that we create for the community.


I am now, more than ever, part of a truly constitutive Jewish space—I am a creator, a producer, as much as I am a participant of Jewish programming. I get to help choose the prayers we will sing on Shabbat; the speakers we host to spark our conversations; the values we live by within the house. I have no more excuses for feeling alienated or estranged from my Jewish identity. I have been empowered to create the culture that surrounds my nascent Jewish self. I am empowered to create the house that shelters my precarious Jewish self, as it grows stronger. My relationship to the house is therefore simultaneously a commitment to my community, and myself, for the two are surely bound. It is an honor and a blessing.


Jacob Cohen
Moishe House New Orleans

Hava nagila Remix: The 21st Century Look @ Jewish Entertainment

Living at the Chicago RSJ Moishe House is a portal to everything Jewish; both traditional and New Age. This blog post will explore three very different avenues of Jewish music culture in both Chicago and across the country.
KFAR Jewish Arts Center stimulates, promotes and produces the next generation of Jewish musical expression. This non-for profit is a portal for hip fun Jewish entertainment. Director Adam Davis is very passionate about preserving the energy of the Jewish musical spirit and adds a cool element for all ages. We have had the pleasure to work with KFAR for a couple of events and each times it’s a kosher version of a rock star fiasco. I would describe the experience as Barbra Streisand meets Infected Mushroom with a side order of missing Lox on a Sunday afternoon brunch.
Through all of the historical hardships, to table pounding Shabbat & high-holiday dinners, Jews love to chant. Oftentimes, there are no words, merely heart vocals. Rabbi Andrew Hahn Ph.D takes chanting to a higher vibration by blending Hebrew messages with a call and response style called Kirtan. This musical experience merges the musician and audience into an unspoken musical conversation. By the time the musical journey is complete, your body may be thirsty but your spirit is quenched. Dr. Hann and I share a similar teacher Swami Satchianda whose message is “paths are many but truth is one,” Rabbi has been able to embrace that message and create a new expression for Jewish Ancient musical wisdom that is truly COOL , especially for my fellow Jewish Yogi’s.
How could I talk about Jewish music without mentioning the 21st Jewish Bar/Bat Mitzvah DJ? (CHAMPAGNE SNOWBALL SWITCH). I mean common on, what is Hava Nagila without a 4 part Tiesto beat. JJtheDj recently played at a Chanukah event that I went to and all the sudden I was looking for the Go Go dancers wearing modest clothes; oy! His beats are legit and he is able to take secular songs and blend them with kosher lyrics. I would highly recommend him for a PG party.
All of these Musical avenues have a different flavor that appeals to various Jewish audiences and communities. This comparison is yet another example that Jewish expression is more diverse than Baskin Robbins 31 flavors. So find your Jewish sound, explore your personal melody and remember that music has no language but one love. For more information about these musical outlets please click on links below.

By: Franklin S. Drob

www.kfarcenter.org
http://kirtanrabbi.com
http://www.jjthedj.com

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Moishe December

Chanukah loving, mental health training, Indian feasting, tantric, interfaith tea-sipping, blindfolded dining, drum banging, Torah studying, post-Limmud rocking... December into the New Year at Moishe House London.

Read on dear ones, for all the details. As with all of our events, message us up if you want the full address.

04 December

Jewltide

Where:The Jewish Museum, Camden
When:04 December from 19:30 to 23:30



MoHoLo (ho ho ho), Wandering Jews, the Jewish Museum and the JCC present – Jewltide, the alternative Winterval music, art and performance party. £8 in advance, £10 on the door.
05 December

Mental Health First Aid (Part 1 of 3)

Where:Moishe House London
When: 05 December from 10:00 to 17:00


Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training will
strengthen the support that you offer to an
affected friend, family member, colleague
or person in your community. It will enable
you to recognise the signs and symptoms of
those affected by mental health problems
and offer initial help and guidance towards
appropriate professional services.

YOU MUST BE ABLE TO ATTEND ALL THREE SESSIONS
Sunday 5th December 10am-5pm, 
Tuesday 7th December 7pm-10pm
& Thursday 9th December 7pm-10pm.

COST: £75
Please book your place by emailing claire.nacamuli@jamiuk.org
12 December

South Indian Delights

Where:Moishe House London (message us for full address)
When: 12 December from 19:00 to 21:00

An evening of South Indian delicacies, music, dance and films (on the MoHoLo big screen).

Come tickle your taste buds with freshly prepared south Indian vegetarian delicacies. Idly, dosa, vada, uthappam... these south Indian delights will be freshly prepared in front of you. Eat till your heart's content and support a great cause, helping Susannah Morcowitz to raise £2,235 to volunteer with the Association of People with Disabilities (seewww.APD-india.org for more information) for a year.
14 December

An Introduction to Tantra

Where:MoHoLo (Moishe House London)
When: 14 December from 19:00 to 21:30



An Introduction to Tantra: Intimacy and Fulfilment through Diamond Light Tantra.Tantra is an ancient pragmatic method to dissolve our sense of separation and isolation, and to enhance connectedness, harmony, compassion within intimacy and in all relationships. It develops integrity, naturalness and joy. Tantra is an approach that recognises the beauty and sacredness of all life, including sexuality, from which all life is born. As Tantra values choice, safety and respect, Diamond Light workshops are easily accessible, and allow for individual choices in relation to boundaries and intimacy. Direct sexual contact is not involved.
15 December

SolidariTea- Moishe House

Where:Moishe House London (message for address)
When: 15 December from 19:00 to 22:00



Join us for a multicultural, interfaith tea and hang out! Take part in some lively conversation, a showing of "Pedalling for Peace", Benji Holzman's documentary about an interfaith cycle across parts of Australia, and much more! 

This event is taking place internationally between December 10th (International Human Rights Day) and December 20th (International Human Solidarity Day), but join Moishe House on December 15th!
16 December

Dining in the Dark

Where:Moishe House London, Willesden Green (message us for the exact address)
When:16 December from 19:30 to 21:30



Enjoy a delicious blindfolded feast, sans utensils. By eliminating your eyesight, sink into the non-visual elements of your dining experience: flavor, texture, smell, bodily comfort. Instead of eating one bite while preparing the next one, happily dwell in whatever bite you happen to be eating *right now.* Will include other blindfolded activities during the meal. Vegetarian as standard: please message Joel if you have specific dietary requirements (e.g. vegan or gluten-free). Bring a blindfold!
22 December

HAND DRUMMING AND PERCUSSION WORKSHOP

Where:MoHoLo
When: 22 December from 19:00 to 20:30



Back by popular demand. We ran this the first time and had around 20 people who by the end, were actually making good noises. Do you own a hand drum (Djembe, Darbuka) or the like? Do you get angry with people that pick up hand drums at parties and can't play them? Have you always wondered how you can actually make one of these things sound good? Do you have a tambourine, wood block or Guiro? We want you to bring your hand drums and percussion and we will be holding a session where you can learn some basic rudiments of these instruments, to tuirn them from noise, into music. You will be able to pick up where we left off after the first one, there will be a re-cap for 10 minutes and then we will plough on with more rhythmic madness.
23 December

Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb

Where:Moishe House London (message us for full address)
When: 23 December from 19:30 to 21:00



'From the Titanic to Chile: In a Crisis, Who's Saved First?'

Moishe House London and Marom are proud to host a shiur (learning session) with Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb, Director of the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

Saturday, 01 January 2011

Shotei Hanevua and friends! A New Years post-Limmud concert

Where: Moishe House London (message us for the full address)
When:Saturday, 01 January 2011 from 17:30 to 22:00

A New Years Night concert and gathering to revive and inspire you forwards into 2011, featuring Roi Levi, founder-singer-songwriter of legendary Israeli band Shotei Hanevua! When Shabbat goes out on New Years Day we'll get going with an interactive multimedia talk and performance from Seth Rogovoy, revealing the prophetic roots of and influence on the music of Bob Dylan. Then Roi will take to the stage with Danny Raphael, playing music from their collaborative project Eser, as well as hits from Shotei Hanevua. Warning: this event will leave you feeling far too good for a New Years Day and is likely to end in a glorious, smile-inducing jam session!

Sunday, 23 January 2011

Willesden Green Wassail

Where:Willesden Green High Street
When: Sunday, 23 January 2011 from 14:00 to 17:00



A repeat of last year's great success! Be a part of the incredible local London wassailing, featuring a range of fantastic performers. Join us for a song and story walk through Willesden Green, help us to celebrate our apple tree's first birthday (the one we planted outside the library!), and come to Monsoon Cafe afterwards for hot drinks and chatter.