Home for the Holidays at Moishe House Chicago

September. It was a month full of new beginnings. 5771 -- the new year. 722 -- our new street address.

It was a busy month too. We desperately tried to unpack our boxes, or at least hide them in closets and corners, before the marathon of Jewish holidays began. We kicked the month off with Shabbat Shuvah, and followed it with a program on the Jewish Art of Reconciliation with our guest Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb. For Rosh Hashanah, our friend, Jake Adler, led a discussion on Tashlich and self-transformation. Yom Kippur found us hosting nearly 30 people for a break-fast meal.

We didn't stop with the high holidays. Next was Sukkot. We partnered with The Gan Project to build a sukkah from found objects. I raided my parents' garage, others searched in alleys. In the end, we had a beautiful, unique, sacred space right here in the middle of Chicago. Then, many people joined us for a Shabbat dinner in our sukkah. To top the month off, we retreated to Black Oaks Center where we slept in a yurt and spent 24 hours off the grid. There was no electricity or running water. While the goal had been to camp for Sukkot and volunteer our services on a farm harvesting vegetables, this experience made me, at least, much more aware of, and grateful for, all the amenities I have living in the city. (And the yurt provided welcome protection from the droplets that rained down all night.) Without heat and electricity, I was reminded of how vulnerable we are to the elements, perhaps a glimpse of the Israelites' experience in the desert. Most of all, the trip provided a break from our daily habits. We also had a song circle to sing the Havdalah prayers and other Jewish and American tunes we knew.

One other program we had was a planning meeting for a discussion series we're hosting to explore privilege and oppression in the Jewish community. I was unable to attend because of a work obligation that night, but as I approached our house on the sidewalk, I passed several friends on the sidewalk; I knew they were coming from our house. And when I came in the door, I was greeted by the smell of good home cooking, sounds of laughter, and many familiar faces. Our walls were covered with butcher paper filled from edge to edge with notes from the planning meeting. Another friend, Julia, stayed after the dinner session to work with me on planning our Sukkot camping trip. It finally felt as though we hit our groove.

I know anyone can get a list of our events by looking at our calendar, but I summarized them here because I felt incredibly proud of the programs we created in September. Inspired by our friends in Boston, we've been trying to implement more of an organizing model for programming. We are meeting one on one with our community members and bringing them into the process of designing and executing programs. And while it's much more energy intensive and overwhelming (especially when you have 3 major Jewish holidays all in one month), it is much more rewarding. For me, it was also an opportunity to explore holidays in a new way. I've never had my own sukkah, let alone built one from found objects (a practice in line with my values). It was special to be able to break bread in it and sleep in it too. This month, we saw a big increase in the number of new people attending too, a sign that we're doing something right. September reminded me of the privilege it is to live in Moishe House and to have the opportunity to help build a vibrant, young, meaningful Jewish community. I'm excited to continue forward with the momentum we built last month.

A Year? Wow!

I started Moishe about a year ago, and I feel like I have learned so much, it’s almost impossible to process it all. I have made a ton of new friends, discovered so much more of Chicago, and reconnected with and explored my Judaism. It has been an awesome, difficult, and breathtaking last year. And I am really excited to continue it all again!

I graduated from college a year ago, and I knew I was coming back to Chicago. Even though it’s my hometown, I was definitely nervous. Trying to bridge the gap between old and new friends felt a little overwhelming – old friends who hadn’t been in my life for years and new friends who I had yet to meet. Moishe House turned out to be the perfect solution to what I was facing. I was able to make Moishe House my home base and build (or rebuild) my relationships from there. I felt so safe in the space my roommates and I created, and I met tons of great community members, so my friendships just fell in place. I was able to bring my old friends from high school and my new friends from work into the community as well. One of my favorite things to see is all the people I care about most getting along and spending time together.

Being from Chicago, I have certainly seen my fair share of the city. But in a huge place like this, with a million things to do, you never feel like you’ve seen enough. Or you feel like you’ve seen everything and forget how much is out there. With Moishe House, I am constantly exploring new places and introducing newcomers to my favorite spots. Other people told me that they have returned home after college and felt like they didn’t belong. I, on the other hand, am rediscovering how much there is going on in this amazing city of mine.

I also wanted Moishe House as a chance to open myself up to reevaluating my identity as a Jew. I was never raised particularly religiously, and I didn’t get involved with Jewish activities on campus. However, when I graduated, I wanted to start exploring again. This year, I have gone to services, studied texts, learned about new holidays and met so many different kinds of Jews. Everyday I learn a new Hebrew word, and every month I learn a new tradition. A whole world has been opened up to me, and I can’t wait to see what else I learn this year.

I am thrilled that I get the chance to live here another year, so I can keep making friends, seeing new parts of the city, and finding out more about who I am as a Jew.

Chicago's meaningful moment

The prompt brought to mind two moments in particular that I found particularly meaningful for our Chicago Moishe community.

The first moment was at a recent Shabbat dinner. A girl, Rebecca, who had come to one program arrived. Later, two of our regulars, Karin and Brendan, arrived. They all got to talking and while playing Jewish geography, they slowly came to realize that Rebecca was about to move in as a subletter in Karin and Brendan's apartment. They had not yet met. We were thrilled at this connection. Moishe House Chicago is coming to be a place where people with similar values come together. On a side note, Karin and Brendan moved away at the beginning of June. Moishe House played a very important role in their time here in Chicago. They said it was the first community of which they really felt a part and they always looked forward to our programs, especially our Shabbat dinners. We are super sad to see them leave.

The second experience that comes to mind is the program we planned with some of our community members for Shavuot. I (Hannah) am trying to explore Judaism and its traditions. I've never celebrated Shavuot, but I wanted to do it this year and I trusted there would be others out there looking for a similar experience. So I tapped some people that I thought would contribute well to program development and they were excited to help plan. We had a very successful event. 30 people attended, 8-10 of them were new too! I was thrilled to see that there is an appetite for more Jewish-learning oriented programs. Additionally, a handful of people that attended are not Jewish. It's important to us, at MH Chicago, that we develop a diverse and open community. So we were happy that a program celebrating a holy day still attracted our community members that are not Jewish. Finally, it was great to see the enthusiasm of the planning crew. They were grateful to have been asked to participate in that regard, and we were grateful for all the assistance they provided.

May there be many more meaningful moments.
Over and out.

MH Chicago's Goals

I have now spent an hour combing through the Moishe House blog, to find the goals we laid out in September, one month after moving into MH. But alas, I'm beginning to recall that technical difficulties prevented us from posting. So I'll use this time to reflect on goals that arose from a recent internal retreat we had to formally debrief our experience at the national retreat. Many of us were newly reinspired about the potential our house has in Chicago to build community and engage Jews in the city based on shared values.

We came out of the retreat with a desire to develop a mission statement for our house. We're still in the process of hammering out the exact wording, but here's what we have so far: MH Chicago aims to build a diverse, progressive, and inclusive community in an egalitarian Jewish context and is committed to working towards a more just society. The MH Chicago community organizes at least eight programs a month that focus on social justice, Jewish learning, Jewish community, and enjoying the beautiful city of Chicago.

Looking toward the future with our new articulated vision for MH Chicago, we want our programs to reflect the interests of our community and we want them to be rooted in a greater context and mission of social justice. We are hoping to implement an organizing model (heeeeey Boston!).

So for the next three months, we are planning to have one-on-one meetings with members of our community, as well as people we think might be more involved if they knew more or if the programming was different. We want to get a sense of what young Jews in Chicago expect from Moishe House.

Additionally, we want to develop strong partnerships with other organizations in the city, ranging from groups like Young Chicago Authors to the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs to 20s and 30s groups at synagogues. Our goal is to co-host/sponsor events with them.

We are meeting more regularly as a house to devise specific goals -- how many one-on-ones should each house member have each month, how many co-sponsored events do we want to have per month, etc. We are also committing ourselves to doing more specific outreach -- personal invitations to members of the community in order to increase participation. The general e-mail to the listserv just doesn't do it! We are also now on twitter and facebook -- we are embracing the cultural revolution of social networking and using it to improve our communications.

That's all for now. To sum up -- we want to deepen our relationship with our community members and work with them, and other organizations in the city, to develop programming that is meaningful and that works to bring about a more just society and that also strengthens young Jews connection to their community.

This is only my second blog for the Moishe House, but it feels like I've been here forever. The meetings, the phone calls, the constant planning it takes to make a communal house run smoothly have become so natural. I no longer have to remind myself to check our calendar foe the Moishe events we have planned for the week because I do it without thinking. That's what I'm loving most right now - the feeling that in this moment, the work that we do, couldn't be any other way.

And now that we've found our rhythm, we can play within the structure we've developed. We know we need to have two Shabbats and a happy hour every month, but we're getting more creative and exploring outside of ourselves. We choose events that we aren't sure how our community will react to - trial and error each month, so we continue to grow and improve.

In addition, from the beginning, as we are all driven by social justice, we've wanted to incorporate that into our house. What I once thought might not work with our community and its needs has become an intrinsic part of our house's mission statement. Adding a short discussion about modern slavery to our kosher for Passover Shabbat was natural, and for me, deepened the experience.

So we have found our way, and we must continue to push ourselves, but it is really our house now.

MH Chicago's Outreach Efforts

We have been surprised by the number of new people that show up to our Shabbat dinners every time. It seems that people hear about them through our email list, and we have gotten many newcomers to our Shabbats that way. Those are the events where we have the most turnout, probably because Friday nights are when young Jews most want to celebrate their faith, but do not have another space to practice. For events that we hold during the week, like happy hours, we get fewer people. We have discussed why that is, and we believe that people are shyer about coming to smaller events and are also busier in the middle of the week. However, we are developing a solid group of repeat attendees—people who came to one event, such as Shabbat, and have come to lots of other events after. We have found that these people are often new to the city or had been actively looking for a Jewish community, so that when we reached out to them, they felt welcomed and excited to come back again.

While our email list, our Facebook events, and other technological forms of communication have brought us new people, we have found that word of mouth is the most powerful tool for getting people to become a part of Moishe House. People have repeatedly told us that a friend told them about the last house, and they decided to check it out. And the people who we draw in come back with friends who in turn come to another event. Our friends from around Chicago, coworkers, and acquaintances make up a big part of all our events, too, which just reinforces to us how our chatting about our positive experience with the Moishe House can lead to new participants. We are going to try in the coming months to mimic some of the other houses’ expansive Facebook groups, but we will continue to rely on good, old-fashioned people-to-people networks that have, so far, produced the best results.

September in Chicago

This was a fast month. The theme of a lot of our events this month seemed to be things happening in Chicago that maybe you would be interested in but would never actually get around to going. I was really happy that Moishe House was able to be the impetus for people to try new things, go to different types of events, etc. Part of this might have just been us getting out of the house as much as possible in these last few days of summer, but I think it can be a great service to provide to our communities.

A few other things. The east coast retreat was great. It was very short, but I still feel like I got a lot out of it. Part of what is so encouraging about these retreats for me is that even though we all have very different communities, versions of religion, types of events, houses, etc. when we come together I realize that a lot of us are not only dealing with a lot of the same logistical issues, but also a lot of the same ideological issues.

One last thing. We have a few righteous indignation events coming up. I'm really excited about these. More on that next month I guess.

Joe and MHChi December

So December was a slow month here at the Chicago house. We had a rockin' hanukkah party, but i was sick then so didn't have too much to do with it. For other events, i'm sure you can look at what my roommates write; I'm going to take this opportunity to talk instead about biking in a winter city.

So i bike to work most days, and for the past month or so it has been dark out by the time i leave. Also, for the past month or so the roads have been a good combination of icy, sludgy, wet, etc. I have two lights and wear a helmet, so don't go pointing fingers. I'm a pretty safe biker, I go fast and run red-lights, but I'm terrified of every car, moving and parked, so that keeps me in check.
So now that that's established, here are some of my thoughts (ranks?). First of all, talking on cell phones while driving should not just be illegal (it is in Illinois) but also be enforced (it is not, ever). People who are on their cell phones are by far the scariest, the ones who turn right from the left lane all of a sudden w/o a signal and don't even notice you almost flying off your screeching bike trying to stop in time. also, the ones most likely to open their door right after they park right into the bike lane. taxi are pretty bad too, but i'm pretty sure they notice and just don't care. also, honking is so annoying, and on a bike there is no way to reciprocate (maybe i should bike with an airhorn). cities plow the streets, but not the pot-hole strewn shoulder, so i have to bike at the edge of the lane which pisses every car behind me off. ok, and here is a weird one. when cars get near the entrance ramp to the highway, it is like when you open the dog food bag and the dog gets all excited, so much so that it is hard to push the dog out of the way to get the scoop into the bowl. i cross an expressway entrance on the way to and from work everyday and it is by far the worst part of my ride. 50% of cars making left turns onto the highway will go if i'm the only one coming, as if to say, "i see you, but i also know you have to break, so suck it up".
enough ranking. biking is great because a) i get to work faster b)i don't have to worry about parking, c) rush hour/traffic d) one way streets E) gas prices f) insurance or breaking down, etc. g) it it exercise and i'm wide awake when i get there and h) no emissions, sucka. also i) freedom!

for those who don't bike, but live in an environment where it is a viable method of transportation, you should think about it/try it. it is very liberating. no buses/trains/parking. just think about it.

checking out.
happy new year l'kulam!

hello from Joe in Chicago

november was a big month here is chicago. we had a lot of events, and a lot of different kind of events, including, of course, a visit from the wonderful summer shapiro (but this event is not on the calendar, as it was double twice top secret, and summer has all the pictures on her camera). we also had our first snow here in chicity, but that's not what i'm going to write about. instead this post is dedicated to everyone's favorite miracle diet... kashrut.

No, but seriously, this is an issue that came up during a meeting in our house this month and became a much larger issue than i think any of us anticipated. and it's tricky. none of us in the house are extremely kosher; some vegetarian, some don't eat pork or seafood, some totally unrestrained, but we also recognize that our house is also the center for the community we are building, and that, at minimum, during events we have to be respectful of our guests. At the same time, it is our house, we shouldn't be ashamed of the decisions we make or pretend to live a different life than we do. so the issue sort of comes down to the classic secular/pluralist debate. do we cater to the most observant person who enters our house (which, realistically we can't do--not with our dishes and pots at least), or is that one or two people forcing all the rest to change prepare and eat food in way we don't normally do, know how to do, or want to do. Obviously the answer is somewhere in between: make guest feel welcome without making our own lives so difficult we don't feel like hosting anymore. but then there is the question of where to draw the line. is serving a vegetarian option enough, or should we also make sure not to cook a dairy/veggie dish in the same oven as a meat dish, or just not serve the two together? and what about kosher meat? eventually we decided that for now we will just have vegetarian shabbats and leave the in between events as case-by-case. this is easy enough, and we don't even eat too much meat, but what if someone brings a meat dish to a potluck? i have no idea, maybe meat eaters just have to hide in my room and eat the whole thing under my bed.
This issue is interesting because it is relevant for the Jewish community at large. at one point it is likely that all jews were kosher, and had similar if not identical interpretations of what these meant. so then you could go to each other's houses, it was easy. no problem. now some people, some jews, they don't do that kashrut no more, and almost no two do it quite the same. so this is interesting because the decision is bigger than any family's own home, it is about how they are then going to be able to interact with their community. the opposite motivation acts on the K observant jew who has to decide whether or not to relax his/her rules in order to be a guest somewhere. i grew up not kosher in a town without a whole lot of jews, and much less kosher ones, so for me this is interesting. I'm sure this is old news to many...

also, did you know that wrought used to be the correct past particle for work (and "worked" didn't exist) and now it is only remembered because of wrought iron? i heard that scientist burying radioactivity with 50,000 year half-lives struggle with what to write on the container, becuase 50,000 years from now "danger" or "don't touch" etc probably won't mean everything because of the natural evolution of language. so they put a picture of spikes on it. if you had a box of spikes in your basement, would you open it? i probably would, but i guess if i had a box with some weird letters or symbols on it, i would probably open it sooner. just a thought.
good night and shabbat shalom.

o, Hai Moishe hauses of the world

October is okay, November is better. I'll tell you why. First of all, as fun as Halloween may be, there are two things wrong with it. One is that you don't get time off, and by the time you get home from work you've already missed all the kids with their costumes, which leads to two, which is when you then go out and there are a lot of awesome, fun costumes. Costumes people put a lot of work into, a lot thought into, or at least they are funny, like Seymore from Little Shop of Horrors or a dirty laundry basket or Marie Antoinette, or whatever, those were just some I saw. Then there are the store bought costumes that are as uncreative as possible, like the french nurse, school girl, beerbox suit man, or dick in a box guy. I mean, come on.
Also, the weather can't decide whether to be warm or cold. I bike to work in a shirt and freeze on the way home or the other way around. At least in November you know what you're going to getting, and thanksgiving is dope. Keep your eyes out for the enormous turkey pot pie I am going to make after Thanksgiving.
Also, fall is beautiful and the cold is invigorating, and makes hot apple cider and whiskey so much more enjoyable.
This past month I did two things i've been wanting to for a long time. The first was I went to a police auction (not an event, just a few people). Nothing much to report about it, but it is pretty interesting. First of all to see all the crap people buy, like a vacuum packed bag of random woman's clothing, or three pairs of the same shoes all different sizes, but everything is also real cheap, and auctions are fun. We also went to second Fridays in Pilson (this was a house event), which is when all the galleries in the mostly Mexican neighborhood on the south side open their doors for people to come eat cheese and wine and meet the artist. It is totally unpretentious and refreshing. Probably my favorite event of the month. Afterwards we had some amazing Mexican food, hearing what sounded like an entire marching band the entire time we ate (around 11:00pm). When we left the restaurant we went to look for the music, and I'm pretty sure it was coming out of an apartment. It really sounded like a full brass band, and you could hear it for blocks, but the entire thing was inside of an apartment. Crazy.

And now a question for the readers who live in other houses: How much focus do your houses put on Tikkun Olam and what does that entail?

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