Bringing Down the (Moishe) House

Tribefest is awesome. Today I went to a panel called “Why is it taking us so long to grow up?” It was my mom’s idea.

The panel was led by representatives from the Moishe House, a non-profit chain of Jewish communal living houses for young people. Think Real World, or maybe Real World: Passover Edition. But there’s a twist: the Moishe House is really a secret training ground for Jews. Through a series of Shabbat dinners, challah making sessions, and trips to the bars, the houses seek to inspire leadership qualities in what society is gradually getting to know as “emerging adults.”

According to Moishe House founder/CEO David Cygielman, emerging adults, or kids in their twenties or so, are natural-born leaders but may not respond to leadership-building attempts from older adults who can be stuffy and traditional. To better reach the next generation of Jewish leaders, David said, young Jews should try to reach out to each other, an opportunity afforded by communal living among young Jewish people. I personally can’t imagine living in a Jewish themed house for any extended period of time without some part of my brain imploding, but those who can should check out the Moishe House website.