Rachael - MHSS - Ethiopian Shabbat

This past Shabbat was a nice solid first for MHSS (& was awesome besides!): greater-community-co-ordinated, Ethiopian Shabbat :

One of MHSS's most active, enthusiastic, present community members, Roey, co-ordinated December's monthly Open Shabbat (davening in our living room, kiddush / motzi / homecooked dinner, talking & laughing & staying as long as you want -- even till the following evening, as some regularly do). He wanted to focus on the Ethiopian Jewish community: Ethiopian-Jewish culture and struggles, history and background, ritual and identity; to bring knowledge and understanding of this segment of our people into the "standard" MHSS community through our popular (my favorite!) monthly MHSS-hosted Shabbat.

In addition to the regular reasons I get excited for MHSS Shabbats, I was especially looking forward to this one because:
1. An MHSS community member was excited for a specific program to happen -- and made it happen!
2. Through this event, (thanks to Roey!,) MHSS was provided the opportunity to reach out to and embrace (or at least connect with) a subset of our culture, a community who is yet a stranger in our midst; establish connections; and bring us together -- all of which I hope leads to continued communication and collaboration between our communities -- or, even more honestly, I hope Roey's efforts were received by the local Ethiopian-Jewish people as warm and gracious and inviting; and, now that people know we are here, that they will come to our home and will invite us to share in their Jewish and Ethiopian lives as they currently live (through organizations in which they are active, or even less formally).

More than educate the MHSS masses, Roey's Ethiopian Shabbat connected MHSS to the D.C.-area Ethiopian-Jewish community, fusing, infusing, expanding our two communities, our bases of outreach, by bringing us together, by giving us a chance to collaborate and socialize with one another. Roey's efforts to reach out to the local Ethiopian-Jewish community in order to bring his vision to fruition served to introduce our communities to one another and created a portal of dialogue and partnership, the potential results of which I am very excited.

To Roey, I offer once again a huge Yasher Koach, Mazal Tov, and Thanks!

I hope other MHSS community members will follow Roey's example and live the reality we share with people regularly: that we are here as a community resource, that we are (or at least can be) more than that which results from the combined energies and desires of just the MHSS residents.

And, I say, once again: Thanks, Moishe House. =D

Moishe House Oakland---more than just free food

Joshua Walters from Moishe House Oakland Checks in...

Before Moishe House I used to think all you needed for a good party was lots of delicious food, but after throwing a couple events I've realized that while full bellies are important, for me, a successful event also incorporates laughter, silliness and sharing.

Just a regular BBQ where folks who I don't know or don't care for come to the house and eat up all the chicken and corn seems kind of hallow to me. I could just feed people, but privileged jews don't need a hand out, and in the end what was accomplished. We had an event a couple weeks ago that was just food and schmooze, and it felt OK, but it didn't feel great, because it didn't feel like people walked away with a better sense of where they lived.

Coming from a performing arts background, the events I host at the house are not just free food, but a chance for people to get to know one another by sharing there experience, weather it be hilarious or deeply personal. The Last event we had, Shabbat House Concert, was a complete success with comedians, singer/songwriters, storytellers and even a mime. The force of people's laughter completely shattered any social stiffness that a group of strangers might have. People who attended got to know a different side of the performers who shared, weather it be a sweet lullaby sung on the guitar or a story filled with love about about one's mom. This was an event that had a lot of sharing, and in turn a feeling of community.