beyondzerosum

JTA reports about a relatively new program called Moishe House which
subsidizes rent for Jewish young people in return for them living together and holding a couple of Jewish events each month.

“Moishe House is a national organization that provides rent subsidies and a programming budget for groups of three to five Jews in their 20s who agree to live in downtown neighborhoods with large numbers of 20-something Jews. They must turn their home into a hub of regularly scheduled Jewish activities for their peers.”

Events can include things like Shabbos dinner, readings, or even yoga. All of the housing is in urban areas. The idea is to create new neighborhoods with a Jewish flavor and make it attractive for young Jews to stay in their mostly mid-size home cities like St. Louis or Detroit which are losing young Jews. Moishe Houses were originally funded by private foundations, but are increasingly involving local Federations.

In many ways, this is a new twist on Mordecai Kaplan’s Civilizational Judaism, and it seems like a wonderfully creative and innovative way to retain and reinforce Jewish identity. The best thing is, it seems to be working.

The full article can be read here: http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/06/20/3088199/moishe-houses-help-cities-keep-their-young-jews

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