Roxy - MH Cape Town

Having lived and experienced being a part of Moishe House for two and a half years now, I can honestly say that it has been a life-changing and amazing experience. I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many different people, live in the centre of the Cape Town and Johannesburg youth communities and at the same time, been able to explore my Jewish identity.

When first being offered to live in Moishe House, I was slightly hesitant, as it appeared nothing more than a religious organisation, but after just a few weeks, I came to understand it to be very different. Moishe House offers one a comfortable, safe and resourceful space in which to engage with one’s own version of Judaism and inevitably, to strengthen that connection, whether it be through religion, spirituality or culture.

For me, it has without a doubt been the latter and by living in a space that was not only constantly social, but also educational, I have been able to strengthen my Jewish identity in the way that I want to- creating something that is unique to me, within my community.

I have questioned, engaged with, argued, fought, laughed, cried, made new friends, forged connections with individuals and organisations and above all else, learnt a lot about myself, my community and the Jewish religion.

Some of my experiences with Moishe House have included the following; monthly dinners where we re-connect with old friends and make new ones, girls only evening where we learn about female empowerment, epic table tennis tournaments, magical Shabbat dinners and seminars, the annual Limmud conference, dozens of guest speakers from all over the world, working with South African NGOs such as Equal Education and the Social Justice Coalition and finally, working with Habonim Dror.

By the end of my Moishe House experience, it would have been four years since I first embarked on this journey and I look forward to connecting with international Moishe Houses in my future travels and experiences.

Roxy Joseph - Moishe House Cape Town