Welcome to the Twin Cities Moishe House. The three new tenants threw a welcoming brunch this past Sunday and drew a crowd of around sixty young Jewish folks from the Twin Cities.
There was food, a few games, and lots and LOTS of chatting. Several of the people were new to the Twin Cities (from all around the country and beyond- from Atlanta to Canada) and were looking for a community they could be a part of. The hosts (Lauren Dahar, Jacqueline Soria and Samantha Hamlin) put on a great afternoon party and opened their new home to all of us as we talked, laughed, made bad jokes, and realized that many of us already distantly knew other guests’ family members or hometowns.
Moishe House residents (from left) Samantha Hamlin, Jacqueline Soria, and Lauren Dahar are looking forward to meeting the Twin Cities Jewish Community.
There was no specific focus on our warm afternoon other than getting to know one another. The residents of the Moishe House are extremely open to event ideas and were actively seeking suggestions at the brunch, finding that our interests varied just as much as theirs did. A friendly man across from me said “Skydiving” while I answered “Holiday celebrations”.
Lauren Dahar, one of the Moishe House residents, said that they will do a handful of events each month. “In August we are doing a gardening program, we are doing volunteering once a month, we are doing a Shabbat once a month- those are some of the things we are looking out for. We are also doing Jewish learning and a few social events.” Moishe House already has an event for this Wednesday, Aug. 10 — helping them to plant flowers in the backyard of their new home.
Lauren stated that some of the short and long term goals of Moishe House “Are to make people in Minneapolis aware of Moishe House and what we are. The long term goals are to bring Jewish learning and content to young adults as well as helping fragmented communities come together and to help people find their Jewish identities.”
Several of people I talked with at this brunch were impressed by how comfortable the house felt and how genuine everyone was, so I’m sure Dahar’s hopes for community will come to fruition. The mimosas and Kosher nosh sure helped, too.
Finding community with working professionals who are interested in their own growth and commitment to being Jewish is a great way to grow yourself. Lauren said it herself, that her main personal goal with Moishe House is to “gain a firm stance in the community, and gain friendships,” which seemed to resonate with all of the people who visited Moishe House. Without a doubt I was the youngest person there (except for the little baby of course) but I felt welcomed and intrigued by all of the attendees looking to find community. As someone who didn’t grow up with a strong Jewish community I am looking forward to attending more Moishe House events and meeting new people.
