Chitown take 1

Hello Moishe Community.

My first post! This month has been crazy. As my housemates have probably already posted, we opened our doors as an official Moishe House just a few short weeks ago, and only a few weeks after moving in this enormous (to me at least, my room has a closet this year!) apartment. Four flights of stairs and carrying all 5 roommate's old futon later, the place is really coming together, and already we have our regulars, who probably know what's in the fridge better than I do.

Our events have been going well, starting out with a pretty rocking apples and honey party. If the success of a party is measured by how much mopping is necessary the next day, I'll say we did pretty well. Building a community obviously means more than just inviting a few friends over, but we are beginning to build our listserv and firm up some of our house routines (finding good tikkun olam opportunities in our new neighborhood, contacting like minded Jewish organizations and coordinating events, figuring out who's turn it is to empty the dishwasher, etc).

We had a "community meeting" last week, where we shared our house's vision of this space with the people who came and recorded their ideas of what they would like our role to be. We generated an enormous list of ideas for future events, only a handful of which we can even fit in out October schedule, which is a wonderful problem to have. We are trying to have a minimum of two tikkun olam events a month, which I am very excited about, but might take a minute to get off the ground. The Jewish soup kitchen that we like has a waiting list for volunteers! Another good problem to have.

On a personal note, I've been working like a dog all month, which just made all the rest of the work (moving in, getting situated, etc) all the more fun. I've been working for a startup website for the past 8 months, and just last tuesday we went live. Very exciting. Then we realized that doesn't mean the work is done, just that now people are watching. Sort of a huge relief though, and a great start of the year.

See you in October,
Joe

KESHER

Although I was reared in a conservative home and schul, most of my jewishness came from a Jewish camp I attended in the Poconos...and it was great. Singing, dancing, and living Judaism was who I was.

Once I went to college, things changed. I broke up with a long-term boyfriend from high school...and that's when the backlash erupted. My friends and family were upset...they had liked that guy blah blah blah. When I told them a few months later that I was with someone new, they flipped. You might think he was a convicted felon or mercenary, but no...He was a non-jew.

My friends from camp, who I had entangled so much of my Jewish identity around, began to estrange themselves from me. I wasn't in a-e-phi and I didn't attend Hillel...I had become an outsider. That year I went to high holidays at my schul outside Philadelphia and felt completely removed. Everything I had loved from my spiritual summers, was far far away from the hub-bub of people chatting away in services and admiring each other's newly-purchased-holiday attire. I began to think I just didn't fit in anymore--maybe I had changed--maybe I wasn't Jewish.

For the next few years, I lived a New York lifestyle without thinking much about my Judaism. I would put up a fight, but still be dragged to schul with my family on the holidays. Even after the guy and I broke up, my camp friends and I still didn't speak. My family, on the other hand, was ecstatic about my new "change of heart." And even through all of that, I felt a closeness to something greater. I wasn't sure what or why or how, but I did.

This year I went to schul for the holidays at a place down the street from our house, a place called Kesher Israel. Rather than a pulpit Rabbi spitting gospel in front of thousands, a congregant delivered the sermon. He spoke of connection--a fitting topic in a place called "Kesher." "Kesher Israel," he explained, "is a place where there is community and that community shares a belief." "Without a community of believers," he continued, "a belief is meaningless."

And here I am-- living in Moishe House Philly. For the first time my spirituality is connected with the life I lead. It is this hand-made community that gives my belief meaning.

Rebecca, MHPhilly

Shana Tovah u'metukah everyone! And what a sweet New Year it's been so far. We've had another rockin' month and the hype just keeps on growing. Kickin' it off with an intimate Rosh Hashanah lunch and highlighting the middle of the month with our Apples 'n Hunnies party (what, what! over 200 people showed and we brought the house down!!), we started the new year off strong. After a long fast, I enjoyed hangin' out with the families of the other Moishettes and eating some delicious smoked fish of various varieties. I personally loved building our very own Sukkah, with no power tools, no kits, no plans, all Moishe. It was fabulous and enriching to start with nothing and end the day sitting in our very own temporary structure. I'd like to give a shout out to Rae and her amazing planning skills for our kick ass Sustainability Shabbat in the Sukkah that was just this past Friday. It came together wonderfully and was an amazing success. With all of the awesome events we've had so far, it's only getting better....stay tuned for October!

Ilana S.S., MH Chicago, First Post wadup!

And like miss P already mentioned, we are up and running! This month has been quite hectic as we have kept up the pace on settling in to our new place. The apartment is extremely nice and we have ample space to have people over in different capacities. Already this month we've had Shabbat(not officially a MH event), Rosh ha Shanna a community meeting and a frisbee game! It is a really great feeling everytime we do an event and are able to invite our friends over and take care of them a little. Based on the conversation we had at our meeting, it seems pretty apparent that we have friends and others who are willing to make this work and help us to come up with some really interesting events. Most of us here are settling in not only as new to MH but also to each other as roomates, to this new lovely apartment in a new and wonderful neighborhood and to our new jobs and lives here in Chicago but I am confident and excited about this upcoming year and I'm happy that we've found Moishe House and I look forward to using it as the impetus to get out in the community, to enjoy the weather while it's still nice, to hang out with new and old friends, to have conversations and to celebrate shabbat and much more. If this month says anything about our upcoming year, I can't wait!

Moishe Move-In!

Hi all, this is my first post from our brand-new Moishe House in Providence, Rhode Island! For those of you who have never traveled to our fun little state -- you really should, by the way, this place is cute-as-a-button -- some people including myself call Providence "pee-vee-dee" or "THE pvd" because that's the name of our state's only moderately-sized airport. Other people call it "the 401" because that's our only area code.

So our first Moishe House event of this month, and ever, was a day during our first week when we tried to paint the apartment but realized the two of us could definitely use some help. Upon complaining to a half-dozen friends, they came over to help! We were so grateful we used some Moishe funds to order up some Japanese food, and the event was born. Very successfully, too: people actually enjoyed painting once it became more of a group project without a tight schedule. This resulted in some new connections and some fun photos. Plus, now, when these folks come to Moishe House events, they'll be in a space in which they've physically invested. Can whoever's reading this see the pics here?

Also, I love apple juice. I drink a gallon or more weekly. Thought everyone should know.

-Jesse

Rachael, Moishe House Silver Spring

I'M BAAAAAAACK!!!

(Finally!)

Shalom, everyone! Shana Tova & Sukkot Sameach.

I was away all summer working at Life-Tech Ventures, the summer camp that my place of spring employment (Nature's Classroom - www.naturesclassroom.org) runs. Nature's Classroom & Life-Tech Ventures are two of the best things that have ever happened to me. I could rave for hours about how amazing they are -- indeed, I have -- but I will not do that here. I will say this, though: Nature's Classroom was a perfect living / employment situation for me: a solid variety of good people, community living, outdoor education, freedom to create lessons & freedom to teach, hands-on interactive learning, influencing the entire character of the students that came to us -- yet it is this opportunity to be a part of our Moishe House that is keeping me here instead of back in New England.

I am just about fully moved into our house, and I am already working on events two months down the road. I am so excited for what we have and to be a part of it. I'm looking forward to helping us grow, and to learning, celebrating, observing, and expressing myself Jewishly through our Moishe House.

MHDC Leo

Well, it’s a busy Moishe life. We celebrated our one year anniversary with our second annual breakfast. I wasn’t able to be at the first annual breakfast, but I can tell you this year’s break fast was at least TWO years better. We ran out of lox in the first 20 minutes. We had babka and rugelach hand delivered from New York, and we fed lots and lots of hungry Yids. I certainly hope we and MHDC were written in for the next year. A few parents even showed up, who were visiting DCite children.

Growing up, it was always my family’s responsibility to hold the break fast. I remember my mother used to organize everything while I was at shul with my father for as long as possible. Being in services always made it easier to keep my mind off food. Although it was sometimes hard to tell if I heard prayer or the communal grumbling of hungry tummies. It was so nice to be able to continue the tradition of holding break fast. Thanks, Moishe, for that opportunity.