Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Get paid for being Jewish!

That's more or less how the JTA described the rapidly-growing initiative Moishe House in this article:

"Say you’re a few years out of college, living with friends and working in a low-paying job for some do-good organization. You don’t go to synagogue but you miss the camaraderie of your college Hillel, and you like to invite people over for Shabbat meals.

"Imagine if someone was willing to pay you to keep doing it?"

Moishe House is a project of the forest foundation, who describes it as:

"...a collection of homes throughout the United States that serve as a hub for young adult Jewish community (with an emphasis on ages 18-28). The Forest Foundation provides a rent subsidy and a program budget for a handful of young, eager, innovative Jews to live in and create their vision of an ideal Jewish communal space."

The project embodies the pluralistic approach to Judaism that may rapidly be becoming the new norm for 20somethings. Moishe House Boston got a shout-out on Jewschool this week for its two-table approach to kashrut at shabbat pot-luck dinners - one table for hekshered food, the other for vegetarian. As the agenda is driven largely by the interests of its residents, some of the houses are more oriented towards social-action, while others organize poker parties, book clubs, and film nights.

So, what are you waiting for? If you would like to start a Moishe House in your area or believe you are a good candidate to live in a Moishe House near you, download the Moishe House Application Form.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

It's like Chabad--but with a younger clientele and seeming a bit more religiously liberal. What an interesting new trend in our Jewish community!