Immersive Jewish Experiences

WHAT IS A MOISHE HOUSE IMMERSIVE JEWISH EXPERIENCE?  

 At a Moishe House Immersive Jewish Experience, you can expect everything from group study to singalongs to friendship. We believe in creating a space to ask the most pressing spiritual questions of our lives. We recognize that many of us didn’t grow up leading Jewish programs and rituals and now seek to find our own meaning in them. Through experiential and participatory learning, our dynamic team of educators inspires with the ritual skills and training necessary to inspire others back home.

Our Retreats are significantly subsidized thanks to the generosity of our funders. We convene at high-quality retreat centers throughout the U.S. and bring seasoned, credentialed Jewish educators to teach on a range of topics. Our goal is to give you knowledge and skills that will help you create innovative programming for your Jewish communities at home.

People come to Moishe House with many different experiences of Jewish life. Moishe House is committed to making everyone feel welcome and making it known that they are an important part of the conversation despite the level of their Jewish knowledge, experience, or affiliation with any movement. We do our best to accommodate participants’ needs, including Shomer Shabbat, dietary restrictions and beyond as needed.

 

North America Retreats

Jewish Learning Retreats

Aug 9-11, 2024

Jewish Educator: Coming soon!

Join Moishe House for an amazing weekend of adventure, exploration, and community as we emerge through the wilderness! Located in the beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park, this retreat will have you celebrating Shabbat with friends old and new, alongside hiking, campfires, ziplining, and so much more!

Apply Now
Aug 16-18, 2024

Jewish Educators: Robbie Gringras & Elyssa Hurwitz

Discussions around Israel are always difficult. Whether at the Shabbat table or the café, conversations around Israel have a tendency to get heated – fast. There has to be a way to discuss Israel in a calm and respectable manner, right? Moishe House is a space where community building can-and-should happen along those fractured lines. But how can we embrace complexity and rigor without shying away from the unknown or the controversial? How do we lead our peers to address subjects that we ourselves don’t completely understand? How can we articulate the issues that divide us and interact with them and each other in a way that builds community?

This summer join Moishe House and Robbie Gringras, a British-born Israeli educator, for a retreat on the 4 Hatikvah Questions (4HQ). For years, Moishe House has used 4HQ as an approach to Israel dialogue that teaches Moishe House residents, hosts, and alumni how to create programs about Israel that spur conversation, thought, and introspection. Participants will leave 4HQ with facilitation skills, not talking points. We need participants with diverse viewpoints and lived experiences when it comes to Israel. The 4HQ framework works best when multiple viewpoints are present- think staunch Israel supporters, people who struggle supporting Israel politically, and those who are not sure what they think of Israel. From our experience education, learning and growth does not happen in an echo chamber. Transformation happens when people with different ideas and lived experiences come together for dialogue.

As part of participation in this Learning Retreat, you must facilitate 2 programs in your local community that explore the 4 Hatikvah Questions. Past examples of post-retreat programs include:

A program exploring the intersection of food, identity, and culture through the culinary traditions of Israelis and Palestinians. This program discussed issues around cultural ownership of food and the narratives around food.

A facilitated learning session about, unpacking and discussing the political, social, and economic aspects of the relationship between the United States and Israel and how this relationship might impact one’s identity as a Jewish-American (or American-Jew!).

Apply Now
Aug 23-25, 2024

Jewish Educator: Rabbi Sarah Mulhern

Base is the home of a Rabbinic family which serves as a home-base for community, learning, and mentorship. Join your Base community for a weekend retreat where we will celebrate Shabbat together through spirited song, discussion, and prayer (traditional and experimental) and of course food and play! For this retreat, we are only accepting applications from individuals who live in Chicago or plan to actively participate in the Base Chicago community.

Apply Now
Aug 30 - Sep 2, 2024

Jewish Educator: Rabbi Dave Yedid

Base is the home of a Rabbinic family which serves as a home-base for community, learning, and mentorship. Join your Base community for a weekend retreat where we will celebrate Shabbat together through spirited song, discussion, and prayer (traditional and experimental) and of course food and play! For this retreat, we are only accepting applications from individuals who live in Denver or plan to actively participate in the Base DNVR community.

Apply Now
Nov 1-3, 2024

Jewish Educator: Coming soon!

Calling current and future MHWOW hosts…join us from across North America for our annual immersive gathering! Your MHWOW staff are excited to be your hosts for the weekend at the incredible Pearlstone Retreat Center. We will strengthen our leadership, learn about each other's communities, and peel back the curtain every step of the way to show you how to level up your hosting skills. Oh, and you may get to pet a goat or two at the farm!

Express Interest
Nov 1-3, 2024

Jewish Educator: Yulia Bezrukova

As night gets longer we invite you to follow the sparks of curiosity and learn about Jewish mysticism with us! Do you want to know everything about golem, shamir and ziz? Wondering what kabbalah is really about? Join us and your RSJ peers for another epic Learning Retreat.

Express Interest
Nov 8-10, 2024

Jewish Educator: Rabbi Sofia Zway

Base is the home of a Rabbinic family which serves as a home-base for community, learning, and mentorship. Join your Base community for a weekend retreat where we will celebrate Shabbat together through spirited song, discussion, and prayer (traditional and experimental) and of course food and play! For this retreat, we are only accepting applications from individuals who live in LA or plan to actively participate in the Base LA community.

Express Interest
Dec 6-8, 2024

Jewish Educator: Coming soon!

Are you Queer and Jewish? Are you searching for a weekend of learning and connecting with other Queer Jews? We have a retreat for you! Join our second annual Moishe House Queer Retreat where we will explore your relationships to self, Judaism, and our queer community.

Express Interest
Dec 6-9, 2024

Moishe House's Jewish Summer Camp experience for young adults, Camp Nai, is sailing out to the Bahamas, December 6-9! Cruise with new friends - on a Royal Carribean ship, that's guaranteed to be filled with laughter, adventure, parties and rest. Soak in the sun and explore what it means to be “Wandering Jews,” moving together as Jewish through time and spaces. Get somewhere warm this winter with Nai Cruise. Spots are limited and fill up quickly so grab your room before we lift the anchor in Florida!

Apply Now

Retreatology

Global Communities Retreats

Jewish Learning Retreats

Sep 20-22, 2024

Elul, the vibrant month in the Hebrew calendar, is bursting with meaning and tradition. As the gateway to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it's a time for deep introspection and self-transformation (Teshuvah). This month resonates with the heartfelt recitation of special poems and prayers (Slichot), unique to each Jewish tradition. Elul also calls us to perform extra acts of kindness for those in need, and so much more. Dive into the rich tapestry of Elul, make new friends, and enjoy a beautiful Shabbat atmosphere like never before in our Global MHWOW family circle. You'll never think of Elul in the same way again!

Apply Now
Nov 1-3, 2024

More details coming soon!

Learn More

Retreatology

Quick Links

The Arc of a Retreat

4HQ

4HQ Israel Encounters is a yearlong program of webinars, in-person gatherings, 1-on-1 mentoring sessions and one weeklong trip through Israel. The aim of this program is to equip Moishe House residents and MHWOW hosts with the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to create and facilitate meaningful programs about Israel. Learn more.

Retreatology

Learn how to create a Jewish gathering for your friends and community from start to finish.

Create Your Own Learning Retreat