Kin-ect
Providing space and time to foster connection has been one of the most important components of my Moishe House life. The San Diego Jewish Film Festival was held in February. We San Diego residents (through the generosity of the Leichtag Family Foundation) were gifted passes to attend the festival, and invited to meet and mingle with some of the folks involved in the film Yes, Miss Commander. The film is about a special training center, Havat Hashomer, where the opportunity to complete basic training (and effectively, to have a fresh start) is offered to young men with troubled backgrounds--- histories of violent crime, imprisonment, drug issues, and many who come from abusive families. While both men and women hold higher ranks at the base, the commanders directly in charge of the soldiers are all female and roughly the same age as their charges. It is through love and compassion, the commitment to not giving up on each individual that drives so many transformations and success stories at the base. The strength, grace, dedication, and sensitivity that each of the commanders possess was extremely moving. One of the commanders from Havat Hashomer was in town for the screenings, and as Moishe House residents, we were afforded the opportunity to spend time with her and get to know this wonderful woman. This connection across the globe will never be lost. Learning about this special program and share its existence with our community members, and to connect with this inspiring woman are incredible gifts that have left a beautifully indelible mark.
Moishe House San Diego also hosted THE Joshua Walters (of MHEB) and several community members came to the house to get their laugh on during his House Concert (coming soon to a Moishe House near YOU?!?!?!). Connecting with other house residents, discussing various ways to run programs and house logistics, learning new ways of doing things is a wonderful opportunity that doesn’t necessarily have to wait for our national and regional retreats.
After an evening event, a few of us were enjoying each other's company so much-- sipping tea and relaxing, dancing, and playing music, YouTubing, philosophizing, having deeper conversations-- that by the time we closed down for the night it was already pushing on 2am. Foregoing work-night shut-eye in favor of enjoying the company of Moishe House community certainly says a lot in my book on the value of connections forged through the Moishe House experience. Many thanks.
--MHSD
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
MohHoLalalal
Shavuah Tov!
Julie here from MoHoLA :) My house just picked up and moved into a new, amazingly beautiful house in West Hollywood and I can't help but feel extreme gratitude for my current living situation.
I find it to be absolutely amazing that in our new house, we held our largest Shabbat Dinner yet, with more than half of the attendees being first timers. On Friday night, I truly felt the impact of the Moishe House Mission. Our goal, as Moishe-house-nicks, is to build a Jewish community wherever we live. It is our mission to help introduce like-minded young professionals to one another, and I am so proud to be a part of this organization. I find it amazing, that in our old house, we had a beautiful community, but in our new house we were already able to tap into a new community with the blast of one short e-mail. This just makes me wonder how many other communities have not yet been tapped into..
I feel so blessed to be able to live in this beautiful house, to work my dream job, and to build, my own, beautiful community. My first year in the Moishe House flew by, but kept me grounded in my Judaism, in my community, and as an individual. I look forward to the coming year, the new friendships, the new community, and the new opportunities that are to come!
To feeling alive,
Julie
Thursday, April 7, 2011
MoHoLo APRIL Mailout
Hi People
So here comes the month of spiritual freedom and food slavery! After a long winter we are blessed with some sun and are finally able to make a good use of our wonderful garden! Our communal garden project has been nominated for international national and cosmic awards at the THE BIG GREEN JEWISH WEBSITE please VOTE for US , here! and as per usual we invite you to have a look and join our event this month.
10 April
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19 April
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24 April
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27 April
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Much Love and happy Pessach from all residents
XAlli, Aviad, Brett, Joel, and Rachel
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Stimulating and Relevant - Jack Cohen - MH East Bay
Living in a cool place, with cool people, where other cool people come to commune in my home is kind of ideal. The two words that I find myself using most often to describe this communing are “fun” and “meaningful,” and the past few months have been a more deliberate effort at combining these two. One form this takes is a monthly open learning group of sorts that we call Torah the Explorah. It has been incredibly rewarding to learn Torah with friends and have really exciting discussions, to discover that "learning Torah" can be stimulating and relevant and affect our lives in some way, and so on. Recently, for example, we had a really interesting discussion looking at ways of dealing with anger appropriately, using as a jumping off point the way G?d and Moses respond to the Golden Calf incident. No expert in Torah myself, I am challenged as the facilitator of this group to develop—our house often, in fact, offers facilitators new to their roles the chance to practice with willing participants, be it in Jewish learning, social entrepreneurship, or creative writing. Another manifestation of our growing intentionality is the Jewish Meditators Group that we started in our home last week. Meditation practice is no stranger to Jews in the Bay Area, where a list of spiritual teachers reads like a Hebrew school roll call, so we are working to integrate practices that already resonate so strongly in ways that fit in with our Jewish lives. As we do so, we see our community growing and becoming more active in making MH East Bay into a center for spiritual and social community.
MHDC!
Another Jewish activity, really? A thought I often find lodged in my mind when I decide to participate in Jewish groups, activities, programs, and events. Having been raised to put a premium on multiculturalism, diversity, and coexistence, I am at ideological odds with myself when I choose to participate in anything exclusively Jewish, which I do, frequently. So, when I moved into Moishe House last December, this old philosophical quandary emerged once more. If I am committed to the idea of diversity, why am I moving into an exclusively Jewish home?
Four years of college had taught me that the angst I was feeling would be too exhausting to indulge. Instead, I put it aside and let myself enjoy the amazing opportunity Moishe House was providing me as I began life in a new city. To my surprise, the next few months helped to quell what I had once thought to be cognitive dissonance.
One Shabbat, we hosted an Kenyan cooking lesson and themed dinner. The main chef -- Mama Kamao – is the director of the African Immigrant and Refugee Fund (AIRF), an organization which helps African immigrants with their transition to American life. Mama Kamao had invited a number of these new Americans to our Shabbat Dinner. Both Moishe House participants and the group from AIRF were playing the roles of ambassadors – explaining our respective traditions and finding exciting similarities between them. People were mashing the lentils, peeling the ginger, cutting the kosher chicken, and adding masala as they prepared a meal which we would say the motzi over. Mama Kamao lit the Shabbat Candles. My friend Lily helped prepare the special Kenyan tea. This was diversity.
In the past few months, we have hosted an Indian shabbat, an udon noodle lesson, and an art show displaying work from artists from all different backgrounds. Our home can be a place that celebrates other cultures, but also allows us to reconnect with our own. These events have shown me that Moishe House can be a forum for multiculturalism – especially its delightful gastronomic benefits.
Four years of college had taught me that the angst I was feeling would be too exhausting to indulge. Instead, I put it aside and let myself enjoy the amazing opportunity Moishe House was providing me as I began life in a new city. To my surprise, the next few months helped to quell what I had once thought to be cognitive dissonance.
One Shabbat, we hosted an Kenyan cooking lesson and themed dinner. The main chef -- Mama Kamao – is the director of the African Immigrant and Refugee Fund (AIRF), an organization which helps African immigrants with their transition to American life. Mama Kamao had invited a number of these new Americans to our Shabbat Dinner. Both Moishe House participants and the group from AIRF were playing the roles of ambassadors – explaining our respective traditions and finding exciting similarities between them. People were mashing the lentils, peeling the ginger, cutting the kosher chicken, and adding masala as they prepared a meal which we would say the motzi over. Mama Kamao lit the Shabbat Candles. My friend Lily helped prepare the special Kenyan tea. This was diversity.
In the past few months, we have hosted an Indian shabbat, an udon noodle lesson, and an art show displaying work from artists from all different backgrounds. Our home can be a place that celebrates other cultures, but also allows us to reconnect with our own. These events have shown me that Moishe House can be a forum for multiculturalism – especially its delightful gastronomic benefits.
Trips 2011/12 invites
Hi,
Our trips provide an unforgettable insight into Jewish history plus the rich culture exploring the world that once existed, whilst concentrating on the present through the remaining communities. Join us and learn about the astonishing contribution the Jewish communities once made and enjoy the main sites of each particular country :-
This will be the 21st Jewish music festival recognized the world over as the best for the quality of the invited performers. See the website for a film of last year's 20th anniversary and schedule of events, which include films and lectures www.jewishfestival.pl (...think
KRAKOW Klezmer climax conclusion of festival 1st July 2011 A lot of fun culminating with the world famous Jewish music extravaganza, starting on Saturday in the main Jewish square at 6 p.m. and ending in the early hours of Sunday morning. This will be enjoyed by some 15,000 people...a site to behold. We also visit Auschwitz-Birkenau on the Sunday – See tour 9 on our website for the full programme and cost
Magical Morocco Marrakesh CHILL-OUT weekend 27th October 2011 - Following a hugely successful sold out 2011 trip, and further enquiries, demand will be huge for our next Morocco
DANUBE Luxury 8 day river cruise from Budapest from £999 per person in November 2011 JHTee is proud to announce that we have negotiated with a leading cruise Company a truly exciting trip on an exceptional boat, and at an affordable price. This amazing offer will navigate 4 countries and the 3 capital cities of Budapest, Bratislava, and Vienna before concluding in Germany, and flying home from Munich or the reverse trip flying home from Budapest - See www.jewishheritagetours.co.uk for full agenda and cost
FULL Morocco tour 16th February 2012 is now confirmed for full 12 day trip, including Sahara desert. The way the trip has been planned only allows a return flight home after 8 days when we arrive in Marrakesh
Tunisia
ISTANBUL Turkey
BALTIC states trip 15th May 2012 Vilnius Lithuania , Riga Latvia and Tallinn Estonia
UKRAINE Autumn 2012 - 10 days covering everything from Lvov to Odessa
Poland – Central Poland Warsaw Lodz & Lublin 8th June 2012 to coincide with Euro Championships
Incredible INDIA
Marcel Manson
Jewish Heritage
6, Golf Close
Stanmore
Middlesex
Tel No 0044 0 208 9545074
Fax No 0044 0 208 954 5074
Mobile N0 0771 2290520
e-mail:
Web site: www.jewishheritagetours.co.uk
Spring - Gil from MH Denver
As spring settles upon us, it is a great time to look at what's ahead. Everything is blooming and rejuvenating. So to, if any of you is feeling sluggish from the winter hibernation, let this be a wake up call. The weather is warm and the sun is shining so get your tuchus off the couch and make some moves. Plan some cool events, previously impossible because of the gloomy grays of winter.
The winter was great. Don't get me wrong, we all had some good times. You've got all those holidays smushed in there, with endless meals and celebration. Of course New Years and Christmas time is fun no matter where you are. And yes there was sledding and skiing and even some caroling, drinking warm cocoa by the fire and that good stuff. But let's be honest... outdoors is where it's at, the way G-d intended.
At Denver Moishe House it means that frisbee season is back, among other things. We make sure at least every month we have a relaxing outdoor activity, usually in the park. It's good for you, good for soul, your neshama, your Qi' if you will. Grab some snacks, a blanket and your friends. Put down the blackberry. I promise it will be ok. Life is all good.
Check out Hazon to find out about community gardens in your area. Go out for a day of planting and harvesting. It feels good and you can eat the benefits of all your hard work. Spread the joy of spring to everyone you know. Do some Tikun Olam or something! Just get out there. This is the true cry of Spring. And it is upon us, so all head. Make sure to keep that smile wide as you step outside into the sunny blue skies. Ya they'll be a rainy day here or there... but that's life baby!
The winter was great. Don't get me wrong, we all had some good times. You've got all those holidays smushed in there, with endless meals and celebration. Of course New Years and Christmas time is fun no matter where you are. And yes there was sledding and skiing and even some caroling, drinking warm cocoa by the fire and that good stuff. But let's be honest... outdoors is where it's at, the way G-d intended.
At Denver Moishe House it means that frisbee season is back, among other things. We make sure at least every month we have a relaxing outdoor activity, usually in the park. It's good for you, good for soul, your neshama, your Qi' if you will. Grab some snacks, a blanket and your friends. Put down the blackberry. I promise it will be ok. Life is all good.
Check out Hazon to find out about community gardens in your area. Go out for a day of planting and harvesting. It feels good and you can eat the benefits of all your hard work. Spread the joy of spring to everyone you know. Do some Tikun Olam or something! Just get out there. This is the true cry of Spring. And it is upon us, so all head. Make sure to keep that smile wide as you step outside into the sunny blue skies. Ya they'll be a rainy day here or there... but that's life baby!
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