Moishe House – Community Builders

Emergent adult community building

Moishe House

Worldwide

Various

Target Population

Emergent adults, 21–33 years old (outside North America, 19–33 years old), who identify as Jewish, “whatever that means to them.”

Jewish Knowledge/Engagement Level of Participants

There are no Jewish prerequisites, other than that people should want to be a Jewish lay leader. In fact, some community builders have been in the process of conversion; in Europe, some have only recently discovered that they’re Jewish.

Primary Goals

To give agency and resources to Jewish young adults around the world to build meaningful Jewish communities. To instill a life-long passion and sense of Jewish self and community in young people wherever they are.

Brief Description

Moishe House helps emergent adults create home-based Jewish experiences for themselves and their peers. Residents of Moishe Houses or Pods—“community builders”—receive a discount on their rent, and in return commit to creating monthly programming for their local community of peers. Each month, the programming must include at least one event from each of the following categories: Jewish life and culture; Israel; tikkun olam, and social. Community builders access various supports and resources that help them grow as peer-leaders and meet their commitments in the most meaningful fashion. They are supported by a number of primary vehicles: (1) Jewish educators and rabbis who are ready to provide content and knowledge; (2) immersive experiences (retreats) where they can gain training in how to host and run programs; (3) financial resources with which to run programs; and (4) incentives to undertake their own learning and skill development.

Characteristic

Characteristic & Implementation

Implementation

Internalization

The community builders must be willing to open their homes to others and be prepared to share their time. Committing to—internalizing—this role is essentially a precondition of becoming a resident. And then, once a resident, they must be willing to go on retreats and be prepared to grow.

Mentorship

Moishe House’s professional staff—the educators and rabbis—function less as instructors and more as coaches or models. Many are near-peers, close in age to the community builders. They are responsible for making sure that community builders have the resources they need, and that they feel confident to undertake the community-building role to which they have committed.

Ownership Opportunities

Moishe House provides a platform—resources, learning opportunities, and inspirations—to people who already come with a passion, who are excited to strengthen their own Jewish identities and who are ready to build Jewish community for others. Assuming the role of hosts actualizes their ownership of Jewish and community-building content in a particularly tangible fashion.

License to Experiment

Community builders are not told what programming to create, other than having to address four named topics each month. How they address those topics is entirely for them to decide, informed by a sense of what will be appealing to their peers. Each event they host is an experiment that tests their own capacity and explores the interests of their peers.

Moishe House – Community Builders

Target Population

Jewish Knowledge/Engagement Level of Participants

Primary Goals

Brief Description

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