Azura Seattle 01/31/08

I had a great time at the retreat. It was wonderful to meet everyone. I have come home to a busy week and things are not slowing down. Good thing I like being busy but I do miss the sleep. I have a few new ideas for next month so we shall see how things go.

An idea from MH Boston...

What if instead of a monthly programming budget, houses could budget on a quarterly or a semi-annual basis? Wouldn't that help us make our programming decisions a little more strategically, based on our goals, instead of haphazardly based on whatever events we feel like holding in a given week?

I know for MH Boston, this would be very cool. It would help us decide how much we wanted to dedicate to Shabbatot, how much to arts programming, how much to supporting social justice, etc. etc. over a longer period of time. It would let us make purchases that support ongoing programming (like Siddurim for Shabbat!) and be conscious of our spending in a much more serious way. For example, we wouldn't spend more on our final event of the month just because we had money left over -- instead we would make use of the highest and best use of those dollars for an event that would be awesome but might cost a little more down the line.

Anyway, that's just an idea that came out of the retreat for us, and I wanted to put it out there for consideration by the rest of the crew.

Plus, it was great meeting all you new folks last weekend, and seeing old friends from last year was a blast. Keep rocking, guys.

Rebecca from MHP

Oooh, I feel so good today! It's been one week since we at MHP left for the MH retreat in Santa Barbara and since we've come back we've had two events...both relatively small (game night and ice skating)...and it didn't much matter to me! One thing that Morris said that really resonated with me was that, as much as these houses are for the community, they are also for us, those running them, the leaders. And the houses work just as much to cultivate leadership as to bring community to our cities. So, if we're happy having an event, it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference how many people show up. Let me also take this opportunity to echo Rae's thoughts on visitation. We'd love to have you! Join us, and we'll definitely show you a good time. Happy February everyone!

Moishe House London - Joel - January

It's been a busy month both personally and for the House. I had two big papers for my Masters to hand in by January 24th, so while amazing gatherings for Rosh Chodesh and Tu Bishvat went on around me I had to duck out once in a while to gather thoughts and pen words. I've been writing about the effect of culturally specific (e.g. Jewish) theatre on community identity. Now I've handed it in I have a bit more time to be with our own blossoming community and to put some of those ideas into practice through my work. The House is going from strength to strength. I'm very pleased that in and among the demands of school work I have been part of our Beit Midrash launch, with different groups of people studying different kinds of texts in the same space, and tonight will be reveling in our second open mic performance night. New projects in the offing. Bring on the spring.

Margo from MHSS

Keeping it short and sweet, being in California for the retreat was a great experience. It was really cool to meet all of you guys. Not being the best at meeting tons of new people all at once, I wasn't really able to properly get to know most of you.
This past month was sort of a break for me from the house. I just graduated and took a well deserved break at home in NY. It was great spending time with family and friends, and really, just doing nothing at all, for once.
I'm re-energized and ready for this month's events.

Aliyah of Moishe House Minsk

Moishniks Dearest,

This month has been a really really full one! One highlight included our Belarusian style (read: 48 hours long) New Years Party!
It was my first New Years in Belarus and I think I may never be the same. New Years in Belarus is an experience everyone should have once. I'm still recovering!

Here's an excerpt from my blog, The Big LaBLOGski:

It all began with a little New Years party we decided to throw here at Moishe House Minsk. A little party that lasted over 48 hours...

(The party starts!)

(And many hours later... It seems the party has ended.)

In Minsk, January is not a quiet month. You see, the Belarusians love their New Years, and all the tinsel, Father Frosts, chatchkes, "New Year trees," and fireworks that go along with it. The Belarusians love their New Years so much that even today, January 25th, people are still setting off fireworks in the streets. So, in honor of what has undeniably been the longest celebration of my life, I raise my glass to you and acclaim, "C NOVOM GODOM!" "Happy New Year!"

Natasha of Moishe House Minsk

My favorite event this month was bowling! It was my first time bowling and it was a blast! I was happy to invite all the friends of Moishe House Minsk to this exciting event.