Rafi - MH Buenos Aires

Three months ago the "Moishe House Experience" started for me. I was recently graduated from the Industrial Design Career in the University of Buenos Aires and I was ready to move in to Moishe House Buenos Aires. I lived all my life in this city, being an active member of my jewish community and I was really happy about this opportunity. 

Many things and events happen during those first days and lots of new people start being part of my life.

And suddenly only one month after I moved in, a trip opportunity to the USA came up and with that, the possibility of visiting many other Moishe House during my journey.

See you later Moishe House Buenos Aires! And Welcome Moishe House New Orleans, New Jersey, Brooklyn and Boston! I prepared my luggage, went to Ezeiza Airport and the travel started…

MH NOLA received me and my friends during Mardi Gras celebrations. We arrived a Saturday night, it was a strange city for me and as soon as I saw the Moishe house Carpet in the floor I felt a little bit like in home. Immediately this great group of residents: Zake, Malory, Barry and Laura made us feel like part of their group of friends.

MH Hoboken was next and this time I arrived alone to New Jersey.  Josh, David and Shira invited me to every event , we share a great Shabbat dinner together and enjoy so much with all of them. We even went together to a Purim party in the Moishe House Williamsburg in Brooklyn.

Last stop was MH Boston I only spent one day there, people in the House was so nice with me, and it was enough time to see how they live, and the kind of events and activities they do.

What an amazing experience! Such a great trip! Meeting new friends around the world! Feeling in home away from home, even when I wasn’t talking my first language.

I came back to Buenos Aires with a better knowledge of what all this “Moishe House thing ” is about. It was a very inspiring travel. Met new friends, learn how jewish young adults from abroad live, what kind of activities other Moishe house residents organized.  

It is so exciting to be part of this great project that aims to change the life of many… well it is certainly starting to change mine!

Thank you Moishe House! Gracias!! =)

Rafi Zelmann - MH Buenos Aires

Rachael - Moishe House West LA

Since I moved into Moishe House West LA in December, I've received weekly emails from Zvi offering up his take on the weekly Torah portion and some learnings to help make the ancient texts relatable. To completely come clean, I tried to read them a few times but would get distracted by something else and never went back. Then I just started to ignore them since they'd pop into my inbox during work, I'd save them to read for a few weeks and they'd pile up until I'd admit to myself that I probably wouldn't get to them. In general, I don't really consider myself a "torah studier" and liked the idea of giving it a try once in awhile, but wasn't making the time.

This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting Zvi at the Moishe House National Conference and quickly realized that I'd been missing out on his weekly nuggets of Torah gold. He presented teachings to our group in a way that paid tribute to the words that have been studied for ages but boiled it down to relatable, modern ideas and ways to bring these lessons into our daily lives, however we see fit. It was really refreshing.

So yesterday, Zvi sent another email and I marked it unread. But this afternoon I read it and I'm so glad I did. It was about the counting of the Omer which is something I'd never heard of before. I read the article he attached and then put his webinar on in the background while I updated my production schedule. I was really inspired by the conversation that he led and decided to pitch an idea to my roommates that we incorporate the counting of the omer into our events between Passover and Shavuot by collecting food items in our SOVA bin, with the goal to collect 49 lbs of food to donate. And at the end we can deliver the food and have a celebratory dinner with food we've grown on our rooftop garden (planted on Tu B'Shevat!) as a symbol of our own harvest.

The greatest thing about Moishe House that I took away from the National Conference is that the organization gives its residents access to a plethora of valuable resources and our job is to take advantage of them however we see fit. I heard it several times this weekend, but the Conference did sincerely make me feel like part of a huge, tight-knit network. I love the community that we've started to create in Moishe House West LA, and even more the community that the three LA houses have created by bringing their communities together, but this weekend took that feeling to a whole new level! I realized that our West LA house has just scratched the surface and that the resources that Moishe House offers us are ours for the taking. Rent subsidies and monthly budgets are just the beginning. It's really the knowledge and ideas and passion for the work that the Moishe House staff does that makes this organization so special and unique. But the most amazing part, as a resident, is that they're encouraging us to take all of their resources and gifts and make them our own, however we see fit.

Dovi - Moishe House San Diego

At some point in the recent past, and I am not sure exactly when, both I and MHSD have gone through a transformation of sorts. It used to be that when people would ask me about Moishe House I would reply with something along the lines of “we are trying to start an active and engaged community of Jewish young adults set in a comfortable, pressure-free environment.” Now, however, my response is different. It sounds more along the lines of “we ARE a community …” Somewhere along the line we matured from a goal into a realized product. This is not to say that the community is now static; we are still learning and growing each and every event, but we are certainly a true community in every sense of the word. We are there to celebrate simchas together as well as to grieve with or console one another when necessary. We learn from one another, inspire one another, and create a synergy that is far greater than the sum of each of us individually. It is no longer a question of whether the Moishe House models is right for San Diego or do young adults want to be engaged and a part of the Jewish world. Rather, the question is how much can we accomplish as a community. How can we better one another? What can we do to benefit the larger community? How can we make the world a better place?
Moishe House San Diego also recently experienced its first personnel change. The four original residents have lived together and planned events together since the inception of the house. This has been great and we have worked hard to help facilitate community growth, so we were not sure what the dynamic would be when someone moved out. In February we found out. It was hard to say goodbye to one of our roommates, but it was exciting to bring in a new mind and heart with fresh ideas and invigorating passion. Our new roommate reminded me of the excitement that I had when the house started and the transition prompted me to take a moment to reflect on our progress as a community. Seeing someone new come into the role of community leader so effortlessly gave me renewed hope that as each of us transitions out of living in MHSD, we will be replaced with someone equally devoted to the goals of the house. This shows me that we are a sustainable community and not just the product of four roommates. I am not sure how we as a community reached this point, but I am proud to know that I have been a part of it. Now, I look forward to seeing how Moishe House San Diego continues to grow and what we are capable of achieving together.

Ido - MH Cape Town

Living in Moishe House – A home in foreign country

I would like to start with a short intro about myself, in order to emphasize the uniqueness of my experience living in MH Cape Town.
My name is Ido Shapira, I’m 23 years old and I’m from Israel.
Like most Israelis, after finishing my service in the IDF I packed a bag and went traveling. But just a bit before I started my trip in South America, I volunteered in a Jewish summer camp in Texas USA.
I was exposed to a side of the Jewish world that I barely knew, the bigger side - Jews in the diaspora. After two and a half months of working in Texas and eight and a half months of thinking (while traveling in South America), I decided that before I’m going to start studying, I want to explore this side of the Jewish world a bit more.=

Six months ago I arrived in Cape Town and joined MH.
I’m volunteering in the Jewish community in Cape Town, working for the Jewish schools, the Union of Jewish students in the University of Cape Town (UCT), the various Youth movements and other Jewish organizations in Cape Town. My job is to strengthen the connection between Israel and the Jewish community of Cape Town.

Living in a foreign country is always a hard thing, but trying to integrate in a Jewish community in a foreign country is even harder.
Moishe House gave me the opportunity to mix and mingle with people of my age (more or less) and through them to get to know the community (and to get the community to know me).

When growing up in Israel, Judaism is taken for granted; only when leaving Israel can you perceive the difficulties of being and maintaining one’s Jewish identity in the diaspora. Moishe House allows young people to interact and meet other Jews and actually makes it easier for them to be Jewish. Participating and leading activities that deal with Jewish culture and tradition, practicing Jewish values through outreach programs or just creating a Jewish group of friends (a thing that sometimes can be really hard considering the size of the Jewish community in SA) - all of this is a result of a changing group of people who have lived or are still living in one Moishe House in Cape Town.

Looking back over the last six moths, knowing that there are six left to go, I have no doubt that I made the right choice. Living in MH puts me at the center of things and allows me to accomplish my main goal – getting people to know Israel and strengthening their Jewish identity, while experiencing living in a Jewish community in the diaspora.

Who knows, maybe when I’ll be back in Israel I’ll open an Israeli MH.

Shoshana - Moishe House Murray Hill

It’s the end of March and that means I’ve been living in NYC for just shy of 4 months now.  I’m certainly no stranger to the city, being from New Jersey and living within easy driving distance, but the experience of truly becoming a New Yorker is unlike any other.  For a city so full of people and constant motion and activity, it can be a fairly lonely place.  That’s why I think Moishe House is such an imperative part of the New York City landscape.  There is certainly no shortage of opportunities and communities for Jewish people, but not every community or program is right for everyone.  Even despite the huge number of options out there, out Moishe House has still found a place and managed to fill a void, providing the exact community and vibe that local twenty-somethings have been looking for.

Our Moishe House is unique, in that my fellow residents and I all have known each other for several years.  Rachel, Ariel and I all went to Rutgers University together, lived in the same dorm together for two years (Ariel was actually my roommate during sophomore year), and were very active in Rutgers  Hillel together.  Starting this new adventure together and pursuing this endeavor has not only brought us closer but also gives such a homey, comfortable feeling to our community.  We’re all students but some of us also work so we have a great dynamic and understanding.  We have some similar networks of friends but a very far reach of other ones that have helped us to bring in people for all over the city, make connections, and start new friendships that are all grounded in our Moishe House.  As much as I enjoy creating opportunities for others to meet new people, Moishe House has also been a great resource for me personally to make sure I spend some time relaxing, engaging others, and enjoying the company of those in my community.  Being a law student, setting aside time to socialize or just hang out with friends and especially engage my Judaism does not always take top priority, but Moishe House has ensured that I take the time to slow down and do just those things and for that I am truly grateful.

After our 3^rd month of operation, I am tremendously proud of the programs we have put on, the people we have met and gotten active in the community, and the huge amount of promise I see for our Moishe House in the future.  We have Moishe House National Convention this weekend, which we cannot wait for – it will be such a great chance to meet other residents and learn from their experiences and ideas!  We all have tons of ideas, excitement, and energy and I know that in the coming months, there will be all the more exciting things coming from Moishe House Murray Hill.

~Shoshana, Moishe House Murray Hill

Portland

I've been in Portland for a little over a year and it is the perfect size for me as a community member, young professional, and Moishe House resident. My house - as the center of my life - has been the incubator for my involvement in the community. My roommates include a musician, a life skills coach, a chef, and a puppy...home life has never been better. They are all talented community builders and I'm blessed to live and work with them.

In our Jewish community of about 40k, there really isn't much going on for young Jewish adults. Most of the young adult groups that exist are affiliated with an organization or they have a political agenda. They largely aren't agile, they don't have their own space, or any national support. In fact, the one thing they all have in common is their use of our Moishe House. We have taken on a new role in this community as a connector, a venue, and a support group for the other young adult seed programs around town. Portland is unique because we don't keep track of membership and thus we aren't plagued by the "turf-battle" that cripples the majority of our community. Many people here are worried about flat or declining membership rates at synagogues or the JCC, people are tired of hitting up the same donors and attending the same benefit dinners, but young adults in this town don't have to worry about consequences of collaboration. We all seem to work very well together and often times Moishe House is making the most significant moves.

The four of us are proud to be community builders and I'm excited to see how we continue to impact this community. We've gone through a serious process of rebranding and we've gained significant traction. Now with the upcoming re-energizing forces of Tribefest + National Convention we're going to bring some fresh material to P-Town.

-Jonathan Morgan

Moishe House San Francisco RSJ

This is my first blog and I would like to take the time to talk a little about my background and the reasons behind why I decided to become a resident of Moishe House and why I along with my roommates founded the Russian Moishe House in San Francisco. I was born in the former USSR and grew up there until I was 8 years old when my family and I immigrated to the Bay Area. I grew up here identifying more with being Russian than Jewish since I spoke Russian with my family and many of my friends I related my culture to that with which I grew up with in the former Soviet Union.
I went to a university that had a very large percentage of Jewish students on campus. I started going to the campus Hillel and even started volunteering to help with many different Jewish events around campus. I wanted so badly to learn about my Jewish culture, about my people’s history, our traditions and holidays, and just to learn why; why I don’t completely fit in with Russian or Latvian people.
Getting out of college, I got the opportunity to start a Russian Jewish Moishe house in San Francisco. I usually am very cautious with making decisions regarding my personal time, as I work full time as an HR manager and bartend on the weekends, but this felt like an amazing opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. Maybe god was looking over my decision because everything really came together. We found a great place which ended up being very convenient for me, we came up with some great events, it gave me the opportunity to meet great people, learn about Jewish customs, more about the situation in Israel, began observing Jewish Holidays and traditions, and now looking back on it I believe it was one of the best decisions for me.
I had one particular experience at an event that we hosted. A couple of speakers from Israel came to our house and talked about the current living conditions and the political environment there today. They were both from the former Soviet Union like me. This one meeting answered so many of the questions I had been wondering about, and gave me a whole new perspective on my culture. It left me wondering what if my family would have immigrated to Israel, or anywhere else for that matter? Would I have the same values, ideas, want to surround myself with like minded people?
I am just starting this journey, but starting Moishe house 5 months ago, has led me to become a young Jewish leader already, and I think of it as a great positive experience in all aspects, I have also become the coordinator for Jewish service events for my house. I believe that this is foretelling of things to come for me in my Jewish community!

-Anya