East Coast Regional Retreat a Success! - posted 2/4/2010 1:41:28 PM

Author - Jeremy Moskowitz

 44 Moishe House residents from Boston to New Orleans descended upon our
nation’s capital to connect with fellow residents, staff and representatives from the funding community as Moishe House held it’s 2nd annual East Coast Regional Retreat on November, 15th at Sixth and I Synagogue in Washington DC. Residents from Boston to New Orleans descended upon our nation’s capital to connect with fellow residents, staff and representatives from the funding community.   
 
            The goals of the day were two-fold: increase the sense of connectedness of houses throughout the region and equip residents with the tools needed to better run their houses as the newly independent Moishe House organization continues to evolve.
 
            While the retreat began on Sunday, the experience began Saturday night as Moishe House DC hosted Havdallah and dinner for a smattering of residents who had come in early for the retreat. A powerful moment occurred as a group of residents, all from different Jewish backgrounds all sang “Shavua Tov” in unison. A sense of community was in the air by the time that official retreat programming began on Sunday Morning.
 
            Sunday was filled with programs coordinated by residents and staff members to spark conversation about the individual house’s role in the larger community and organization. Programming highlights include:
 
·        A team of Moishe House resident’s helped to orchestrate an exercise designed for residents to take inventory of their house’s values and brainstorm ideas about a region-wide program that could be done to reflect those values.
·        Moishe House Rabbi in Residence Scott Perlo led a session on creating meaningful Jewish programming that consisted of a group text study coupled with discussions on how residents could tap into their community to find resources to make Judaism meaningful for their peers.
·        Executive Director David Cygielman led a frank discussion about Moishe House’s history, current state and what our goals look like for the year to come.
·        Adam Simon, Director of Jewish Programs at the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation who led a session on how residents can play a role in developing local partnerships in their community.
·        The residents were able to use each other as resources via a “Lightning Round of Case Studies”, a program that allowed residents to share issues from their community to a group of residents from other Moishe Houses who provided guidance based on experiences from their community.
 
As the day wrapped, residents expressed a feeling renewed energy and community caused by the opportunity to work and strategize with other residents.  The next step is for residents to harness that energy and bring it back to their communities to enrich the programming they create for their peers.
 
A very special thanks goes out to the Righteous Persons Foundation for underwriting the cost of the retreat.