The houses that Moishe built

It's Friday evening. A group of young people gather in the living room of a spacious home in Silver Spring, Maryland, light Sabbath candles and sing hymns in Hebrew. Three are still busy in the kitchen, preparing the Sabbath-eve meal, featuring baked fish, guacamole and watermelon slices. After the ritual hand-washing, wine glasses are passed around. Some of the 17 people there don skullcaps for the blessing, which ends with an impressive "Amen."

But all of this is not necessarily about religion.

"To tell you the truth, God isn't really relevant for me," says Roy Katz, 29, who develops software. "For me, it's a place to have a good time without feeling I'm missing out on something Jewish."

Katz, of Bethesda, Maryland, left Israel with his parents when he was five years old. He attended a Jewish school as a child, but after completing his college studies, he couldn't find a Jewish framework that suited him.

"I don't go to synagogue or the community center, because I've always felt that this is intended more for families and there isn't any framework for people like me," he says. "I find prayer quite boring. In the synagogue I start looking at my watch after five minutes, but here I gladly participate in the blessings because I come here for the people."

Moishe House, an innovative international framework for recent college graduates in a homelike setting, has a simple formula: Three to five young Jewish people live together, receive 25 to 75 percent of their rent money and a modest monthly budget, and in return undertake to hold a number of social and educational programs aimed at young people like themselves. The programs are varied - from the (Sabbath-welcoming) Kabbalat Shabbat and sing-along evenings, to "breakfasts with ice cream," "Jewish meditation," and outings to movies and elsewhere. The main thing is for young Jewish people to spend quality time together. Is it any wonder that the idea is spreading like wildfire?

David Cygielman, co-founder and executive director of Moishe House, came up with the idea about three years ago, when he enlisted four college friends to set up the first house. Artist and philanthropist Morris (Moishe) Squire donated the seed money - and his name - to the project (he has since resigned from it). The Moishe House network currently has 29 houses in America and abroad; two opened this month in Moldova and Hungary, and two more are opening next month, in Denver and Mexico. The network operates in nine countries, and has an annual budget of $1.3 million - "the budget of a medium-sized synagogue," says Cygielman.

Many attempts to open new homes are rejected due to budgetary limitations, including an initiative to open a Moishe House in Israel for American immigrants. Cygielman explains that with his organization's limited resources, they prefer to concentrate on places where young people don't have enough opportunities to experience an active Jewish life.

Eli Wald, 24, who lives in the other Moishe House in the Washington, D.C. area, in the trendy neighborhood of Adams Morgan, says he has always felt a connection to Israel. A photo of his family rests on top of an old typewriter he bought at the flea market in Jaffa, alongside a Srulik doll based on the famous Israeli cartoon character.

Wald's family immigrated to Palestine from Poland in 1933. His grandmother and grandfather were members of the Haganah pre-state underground, and they opened the first condom factory in Tel Aviv. His father, who is in the arts, immigrated to Chicago; his mother was born in New York. Wald himself works for one of the major Jewish lobbying organizations in Washington and moved into Moishe House nine months ago.

Many of the people who attend events there consider this their only formal connection with Judaism, he says. Young people are put off by the synagogues and the federations "because institutions don't understand them. We don't have a mission of bringing them from zero engagement in Jewish life to 100-percent involvement. Many of our events give one the feeling one's going to a party in Israel. We are, however, trying to provide people with creative ways to think about Judaism. We have about 500 people on our mailing list, and eight days a month the house is full of people - 125 people in the living room and in the kitchen, our public spaces. It's really crowded, people have to stand. But it's really fun," Wald adds.

Donors have minimal involvement in the project's activities. As for the tenants at the various houses, they are required to upload photos of each event to the Moishe House blog within two weeks, to report how many people attended each event and to provide receipts for any purchases.

"Moishe House became a name that opens doors," says Zvi Bellin, who lives in the Silver Spring house. "It empowers and motivates me. I'm not sure it will lead to a critical global change, but on a personal level it made a difference for many people like me. In our house, we tend to be more religious, but it's a house, it's not a synagogue. You come and you'll get a cup of tea. Prayers are just a small part of what we're doing. Instead of praying, we can practice yoga."

Bellin, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in pastoral counseling and works for a gay Jewish cultural organization, met David Cygielman on a visit to Israel with other young Jewish community leaders.

"During our trip, I told someone about the Sabbaths and holidays in our house. He told me to talk to David. We did, and after five minutes, he said: 'We'll make you Moishe House in Silver Spring.' It's a great gift. There are things that I'd probably do anyway, things that we were doing, but now I can hold a part-time job and work on a cool program."

Lindsay Morris, 25, another tenant in the Silver Spring house, works with low-income families in Maryland. She says that like as with any other roommates, they also have issues involving running the house. Once a month, they meet and talk about their plans - "discussing logistics and cleaning problems. We are very open with each other."

"It's not a commune, not all food is shared, although many times we do cook together," explains Alan Belsky, 28, the third of the five roommates in Silver Spring. "There are different levels of friendship between Moishe House tenants; some stay here a long time while others are new. But if in the beginning it was more working on a common project, gradually we did become friends."

Split attitudes

The established Jewish community has split attitudes toward the Moishe House network - some view it positively, while others see it as "Friday night with a glass of beer." Some communities try to cooperate with the Moishe Houses, while others haven't heard of them.

"There are organizations that just don't know how to deal with us," says Belsky. "We are weird - not religious or secular, we're informal. Just five young people living together and offering programs for other young Jews."

"Moishe House is a simple but very powerful idea," says Lynn Schusterman, chair of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. "It offers a creative way for young Jewish adults to establish a dynamic Jewish community and to shape Jewish life on their own terms and in their own image. I see Moishe House as a vital gateway, enabling thousands of young Jews to experience Jewish living that is joyful, relevant and welcoming to anyone who wants to explore and develop their Jewish identity."

Cygielman adds that he is "not sure about becoming more Jewish," adding that the participants in the program "certainly become more involved in Jewish life and absolutely become Jewish leaders."

One of the big questions about the project is what happens to "graduates." Will they join other Jewish frameworks or cut themselves off from the community?

"When people apply to Moishe House, they know it is for young adults in their 20s," says Cygielman. "When someone turns 30 we begin the conversation about who will take their place in Moishe House, but we do not kick people out on their 30th birthday. It is important for us to concentrate on young Jewish adults in their 20s because it is where we see the biggest need and feel we can make the biggest impact.

"Once people start getting married and having kids, our hope is that they will find a new Jewish community such as a synagogue or havurah (informal worship and community group). Our role is to create vibrant Jewish communities after college so there is a sense of meaning and excitement for each resident and participant that will encourage them to continue being an active part of the Jewish community. We want the idea of Moishe House - having a Jewish community - to continue throughout their lives."