Moishe House St. Louis Gets Recognition

The St. Louis Moishe House has done it again, winning Moishe House's House of the Month award. This award, which highlights one of the 33 houses across the world, recognizes the work that the newest combination of residents have done.

In the month of October, MHSTL hosted events for Simchat Torah, Shabbat dinners, attended screenings of an Israeli film, Lebanon, held current event discussions, and a social action Halloween program.

The St. Louis house, which was founded in 2008, is currently located in Richmond Heights. To learn more about the group, check them out here and on facebook, here. Read More......

Moishe House Makes The New York Times

Everyone's favorite non-institutional organization for post-college Jews was just covered in the New York Times.

That's right, in a few short years, the organization has gone from a few houses on the West Coast supported by a single philanthropist to a national non profit with houses around the world.

Big shout outs to Rebecca Karp of MH Philly for being featured in the article.

The St. Louis Moishe House opened less than 2 years ago and has received quite a bit of local attention since.

Read the full articlehere. Read More......

The Weekly Update: Mayor Schoemehl, Pot Lucks, and more!

Last week was indeed a busy one and this week promises more interesting things. Read on for the juicy details.

A quick shout out to I64-40, known by locals as 'highway fahrty', which FINALLY opened back up this morning at 5 am.

The past weekend was jam-packed with a huge Moishe House dinner (props to heather for the great tilapia), some Challah French Toast, video games, and Hebrew tutoring at the Next Dor House on Saturday, and the big bad menorah's of Lightfest, followed by some Chiropractic help and a jam session at the Next Dor House (for more on what went down over the weekend at Next Dor, click here).

So what is happening this week?

Well, for starters, tomorrow night (Tuesday), Vince Schoemehl will be following up to the initial conversation we detailed (here) with a larger group of influencers and power brokers. If you want to be a part of that conversation and the activities that flow from it, be at 5020 Waterman (AKA Central Reform) tomorrow night at 6 PM.

Wednesday night, Next Dor will be hosting a pot luck, and judging by the early response, it looks like it will be a full house. To make sure you have a place at the table, RSVP here.

Thursday on out, you're on your own. I'm headed to Denver on business and will be making a stop over to see one of my favorite baby cousins.

Don't forget, Friday is already Hannukah, so bust out your No Limit Texas Dreidel sets, and your deep fryers, and get ready to celebrate.
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Moishe House Gets Some Great Press

Moishe House is getting some great press all over the world, including St. Louis!

From Ha'aretz, Israel's leading left-of-center newspaper, is featuring a full length article about Moishe House, and covers some of the interface issues Moishe House has with the mainstream Jewish community. Read it here

And right here in St. Louis, Barry Rosenberg of the Jewish Federation is quoted in the St. Louis Jewish Light as saying, "Exciting new programs like Moishe House and Next Dor will help attract young Jews who want less institutional modes of Jewish identification."

..it's a start right? Read More......

Moishe House Hosts Rabbi Kerber, a recap

Last night, a group of young adults gathered at the Moishe House to talk to Rabbi Justin Kerber, the new Rabbi at Temple Emmanuel. Topics of conversation ranged from Sex to Jesus, Homosexuality, as well as stereotypes of Jews. Not only did the event manage to bring out a decent number of people, but it marks the first time that Moishe House in St. Louis has hosted an event with a Rabbi.

The group spanned both young adults who work for Jewish organizations and temples, to Jews who have never been to Israel and work on Yom Kippur, and even a few non-Jews.

The group seemed particularly interested in where stereotypes of Jews and money came from, and the legacy of not being able to own land, and being forced into roles as money-lenders was discussed.

After speaking about pikuach nefech, the special circumstances under which you can break Jewish laws to save a life, the question of who is a Jew surfaced.

Once participant with a Jewish father, and a non-Jewish mother, had a hard time dealing with the fact that religious Jews do not view her as Jewish.

Rabbi Kerber then pointed out that, not only is it more and more rare to find a reform Rabbi that won't perform intermarriage, it is also likely that within a decade, there will be intense outreach to children of mixed marriages to 'bring them into the fold'.

The event was facilitated well by Moishe House and kept generally on topic. I think that the event proved that young adults will come out to an event that explicitly talks about Judaism and includes a Rabbi. This gives further credence to the theory that, so long as the atmosphere is comfortable, people will come.

A bottle of Muscato was enjoyed by several participants at Sasha's afterwards.
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After these messages, we'll be right back

We've received a few comments and questions recently about Moishe House, specifically what has been going on and why people haven't been hearing as much about Shabbat dinners. The answer is pretty simple: transition.

As you may recall, I was in the middle of a tough decision when we realized that our lease would be up at the end of July. In trying to figure out my plans, the other Moishe House residents were put in a bit of a bind too.

The new Moishe House, was moved into this past Sunday, and is being put in order to hold events. The new location is likely to be more convenient for many, being close to Clayton and Big Bend.

Unfortunately, the nature of moving makes it difficult to impossible to hold events while packing up or unpacking, but hopefully this won't cause a loss in momentum.

Look for events to start back up mid August in a new location, with the same dynamic you come out for ... and of course... the free food.

Shabbat Shalom.
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The Anatomy of a Decision

Being that I am a product of a philo-Semetic, Zionist (in the classic sense of the word) upbringing, it seems fitting that I am in the position have having to choose between Jewish community building in St. Louis, and Jewish community building in Israel.

On the one hand, has been my desire to be in Israel, which has been with me since graduating college. Most of my friends tease me that, with as much as I talk about it moving to IL, I'm still in St. Louis. But recently, and quickly, the situation changed.

I was (as of Tuesday) accepted into Otzma, a 10 month program that focuses on volunteering and leadership development.

The decision should be fairly straight forward right? Here is the opportunity I have been looking for to be be in Israel, have an impact, and potentially set myself up for something long term ba'aretz.

Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Not only are there the financial concerns of leaving a situation in which I make money for one in which I pay for the opportunity to volunteer, I also want to be able to see the next phase of all of the projects happening in St. Louis.

For example, the Next Dor Project is moving forward.. racing forward more like it. Demolition and landscaping work is starting this weekend, and grant proposals are being written and considered.

And what about Moishe House? It is in very capable hands, but who will be the third roommate? In light of a soon-to-be-ending lease, what position would my absence put them in?

Last but certainly not least, who will take over updating The St. Lou Jew? Sure, updates from Israel will be interesting, but they won't be local, which is something that we have really tried to bring into the mix.

So here I am, with a lot of great things that I get to be a part of, trying to figure out which way to jump. At least I'm lucky enough that I don't think I can make a wrong decision.
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How To Survive The Recession: Make Friends

Just got the Jewishinstlouis.org email update and they are running a series about Jewish young adults and the economy. Check out this story and the props that Moishe House gets!

Also, they finally got around to writing up the leadership and service trip to New Orleans Read More......

Around the world in 30 seconds

Want to know what is going on in the young Jewish world? Look no further than the Moishe House blog, where Moishe House residents from around the world share their experiences, updates, and thoughts.

Recent posts run the gamut from serious thoughts on Judaism and Democracy, to thoughts on the future of Moishe House as an organization, to random poems and musings.

If you look hard enough, you might even find some content from your very own St. Louis Moishe House.

Read it here. Read More......

Super Bowl: Moishe House Style

There are some things that can only happen when you are a member of Moishe House.

-You get to feel like you live in a frat house at 23.

-3 guys who don't really drink wine end up with the best wine collection in town.

-You spend an inordinate amount of time on Facebook at work (well maybe that one is not so unique).

But nothing is as Moishe Housey as the pre-Super Bowl Costco run. One of my secret desires has always been to win an all-expenses paid shopping spree, one of those ones where you just run through the aisles and throw as many items into your cart as you possible can... well that is what Costco was like this weekend!

(Veggie) Potstickers? Check... Chicken sausage? Check... Rosh taking a ride in the Escalade built for a 5 year old? Double check... 5 lbs of honey bbq wings? Let's make it 10!

And you know those free samples they have all over the place at big box stores? Well Costco's are by far the most effective I have ever seen. Not only did we buy the chicken sausage that was oh so good...not only did I totally see the rationale in buying a super size package of plug-in air fresheners (we ultimately did escape unfreshened)...but a devious old woman successfully hawked a 290 pack of red solo cups!

I felt good about that purchase until a Costco employee saw the cups in our cart and said incredulously, "She actually got you to buy that?!??! I think you just made her week!" Yup, in addition to everything else, we are the guys who buy the thing that NO ONE else will buy because its just too ridiculous and unnecessary. But on the flip side, cups for the next 3 months of beirut games are on us!

So if you are really looking for something fun and unique to do around town, come with us for our next Moishe House shopping run... it's guaranteed to be an experience you will not soon forget!

(O and the refs and the commercials sucked in the Super Bowl... go Cards!)
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YPD Campaign Kick Off Recap and Reflections

The Young Professional's Division's big event is generally seen as the once-a-year place to be, even for those more 'ish' than Jewish. This year was no let down, as the Tribe came out strong and looking good.

A quick recap of the different pieces of the event; The Karaoke was kind of a joke. I mean, this little screen was hooked into Dell laptop speakers, and it was right by the entrance... did anyone sing? At all?

The open bar, on the other hand, was a hotbed of activity all night. The themed food and drinks seemed to go over well, and, while I didn't have any time to eat it myself, I heard the tempura was fantastic. The dance floor was empty early, but after a Tango demonstration by Tal Stein, the man who holds down Atomic Cowboy's Thursday night Swing dancing sessions, people started moving in, and eventually, booty shaking ensued.

After going 'around the world with YPD' on Saturday night, my own journey to become a part of the post-college Jewish community in St. Louis came full circle.

A year ago, I walked into YPD's kick-off knowing a handful of people, with my only claim to fame being that I had connected YPD with 30 cases of beer, thanks to my former position with a beer company.

Saturday night was a wholly different experience. To me, the evidence that we have started to succeed in building this young Yid community was present in the sheer number of people that I knew at the event, and who now know each other.

As the night wore on, the sake bombs took effect, and the dance party took off. One friend remarked that you could, "totally tell who the Moishe House kids were, we were the ones dancing and having a great time."

While it was certainly true that we held down the dance floor, we weren't the only ones having a good time.

Actually, there were so many new people to try to meet, it was a bit overwhelming.

In fact, I may have to reassess my claim that there aren't any young Jews in St. Louis. There clearly are, the question now is, what do we have to do to ensure that I don't have to wait another whole year to try to meet them.

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Moishe House gets press in NJ

It's always nice to see success, and the Moishe House in Hoboken, New Jersey just got a bit of recognition.

An article in the Jewish Standard gave props to the Heebs holding down the Hoboken Moishe House, touching on the grassroots nature of the organization.

Probably the most illustrative part of the piece was the quote, "[Moishe House] is a place for young Jews who want to hang out who aren’t necessarily attracted to a shul environment. At the end of the day, we are all members of the tribe."

Despite how totally different Hoboken may be from STL, there are clearly some commonalities. The first is that young Jews want a place to connect with other MOTs, without the institutionalized feeling of a synagogue or JCC.

The second is that free food is a pretty good motivator. We are Jews after all.

Finally, I think that a key take away is that no matter where you are, young Jews want to be engaged but are turned off by the main-streams overtures, which seem totally out of touch.
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Moishe's in the House

Monday morning, I returned from a very interesting experience in the nation's capital... having missed my flight the night before (damn yellow line)

What was this magical mystery tour, which paid for my flight, and threw me into a room with 20 or 30 twenty-somethings? It was none other than a Moishe House retreat.

After seeing college, camp, Cincinnati, and youth group friends, and some family... it was time to get down to Yidness.

I showed up at the predetermined address, not quite sure what to expect.

Here I am, a relatively new member of the MH crew, showing up in a well established House. Would I like the kids? Would they be the kind of Jewish kids who are quite nice, but wouldn't really make it onto my interesting list? Would they out Jewish Geography me?

The answers ended up being yes, remains to be seen, and everyone's a winner at Jewish Geography.

Really though, I have to admit that I enjoyed the group. All stereotypical Jewish mixers and discussions of Jewish identity blah blah blah aside, it was fun, and interesting.

And I was able to bring up a core incongruity that underlies the tension in the Jewish humanist leanings and feel comfortable about saying it (ask me later).

Not only that, I got to sit in with a jazz band at Adams-Morgan day, free-style, and connect with some people all over the country.

The retreat reinforced my belief that all over the US, and really the world, 20-some-year-olds are redefining and breathing new life into ancient traditions and culture, adding a new twist to an old standard, and finding any excuse to party with fellow MOTs.

As we move into our new Moishe House, to create an better space for us, we invite you to hit us up and join us in building an exciting young Jewish community.
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Is Wal-mart Kosher?

To date, Y? has asked me to write this article over 100 times (estimation). Its not that I specifically enjoy making him wait for my commentary regarding the topic, but that I just have had tons of other things in my mind regarding Moishe House and in general. Keep in mind this topic was just spurred by constant conversation between myself and Y? about which we have differing opinions.

I have solidified my opinion regarding the company, corporate philosophy, and side effects regarding their existence in terms of today’s business world through multiple business cases and extensive studying in business school, though there is always much to learn when dealing with knowledge that is not 1st hand. For the most part, I believe I am in the minority when writing my feelings regarding Walmart, especially inside the Jewish community. I believe Walmart is the perfect corporation when only looking from a corporation viewpoint (i.e. no emotion). I can and will take that position when discussing corporate culture because most stockholders will take the same position and they truly drive the company. Walmart is as one senior executive said on television, “a speeding train, It wants to hit something.” They strive to only compete on cost, they relentlessly drive down costs and are rewarded with more business, especially in this day and age where another price quote can be only a click away. Customer service is a luxury only afforded by the wealthy and Walmart realized this quite a while ago. They then worked to establish the framework necessary to truly become the low cost leader:

* A cheap unskilled workforce
* Leveraged Supplier Relationships
* Corporate Themed Cost Cutting

Walmart took the American business model and perfected it. Their supply chain can not be beat and their supplier relationships basically mirror the foreign policy mantra of Theodore Roosevelt. There are obviously consequences to being the most powerful supplier in a world of consumers, the most damaging of which is increased scrutiny regarding anything and everything. Walmart is A-List star in a world of D-Listers and the paparazzi are all over them. Now that we have established my admiration for Walmart; it is time to convey the true advantages to their existence.

Many of the times that I have conversations regarding Walmart, it involves my defense of the merit of Walmart's existence in small-town America. These conversations many times flat out come down to my personal opinion regarding such indulgences. For all their horrible labor violations, they save the average American consumer $2,500 based on a study compiled by Global Insight (commissioned by Walmart). For the 70% of Goods in their shop that are manufactured in China, they employ 2.1 million people (At an average wage of $10.11 an hour). One must make a comparison between the personal advantages afforded and the personal disadvantages endured. I can shop at Walmart because I am not completely disgusted by their less-than-reputable human rights record. I am absolutely appalled by some of the stories that I hear, but I can silence my conscious while I shop there. Some Americans can, some Americans can’t, and quite a bit of Americans can not afford to. As much as I hate to admit it, I take their horrible record with a grain of salt, because it is a means to an end; that end is providing the customer with the lowest priced goods and improving the quality of life of the customer which has and always be the most important stakeholder in your company. They will never be a corporate beacon for all others to emulate, but at the same time they will never be a corporate pariah despised by all.
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From sea to sea

There is a rumor that has spread around the Middle East for decades that the Israeli flag, with it's Star (or shield) of David flanked on either side by a blue line, is a symbol of the Jewish state's intention to have a Jewish presence from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates (a terrifying notion, to be sure).

While certain religious Zionists have declared that a the State of Israel should contain all of the land of Israel, its clear to me that the majority of the Israeli have no intention of even hanging around the Jordan river. In fact, the majority of the Israeli population lives right on the Mediterranean coast.

Let me now make a comparison, if I might, to the US, where most of the Jews also live on the coasts (especially the post-college, pre-marriage demographic). In fact, if you were to judge by the way many Jewish organizations (especially a certain well-respected reform theological seminary that I love very much) behave, there aren't any Jews between the coasts at all.

Kanye said, ". .The Mid-West is Young and Restless." You certainly wouldn't know it from the media. Jewish images in the media are generally restricted to New York, LA, or Israel. To be fair, those may or may not be three of the largest Jewish populations on the planet, seeing as how there aren't that many of us left in Cairo, Morocco, Spain, or Iran. So whats the deal? Every sitcom that doesn't involve Jews seems to take place in the Mid-West, or at least somewhere outside of NYC or Cali (exception being of course the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but seeing as how the whole thing was basically making fun of bougie JAPs anyways, it doesn't count).

Beyond that, half of us 'fly-over-state' Yids end up in NYC, DC, LA, etc. I feel the pull too, I just can't give up on STL yet. So what if people don't hustle the same way here (CSM points out that you can't spell hustle without 's-t-l'), the conditions exist in the Mid-West for a spark to really make some things happen. Not just in STL, but in areas like Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis, NOLA, etc. (the last two aren't MW but count, you don't like it, get yer own soapbox). But we are here, the young and the restless of the coast-less, but certainly not hopeless.

This brings me to Moishe House, a pretty cool concept for those of us on the front line of Generation Y(id)™. Basically, they help you turn your spot into an urban (hopefully) JCC. A non-denominational open house for post-college Jews to come, kick it, maybe have a meal, and connect.
There is a lot of potential in this idea, and if you have some feedback regarding feasibility and interest on the local level, shoot it our way.

Perhaps one day, those rumors of a well represented young Jewish community can apply to the areas between the coasts of the US as well.
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