Pardes In the Press
How My Moishe House Experience Led Me to Israel
By Shelby Zitelman, Moishe House Philadelphia Alumni
I joined Moishe House Philly in July 2008, after attending a few events and realizing that the House was amazing. They were looking for a new roommate, I loved hosting events for friends, so it was a perfect shidduch (match)!
And it was an incredible experience. Not only did I meet amazing people and help them integrate into the Philadelphia scene, but I also learned personal life skills like organization, planning, networking, outreach, and project management.
I’ll be honest - I had no real intention of expanding my Jewish community. I was satisfied with my Jewish identity and had plenty of Jewish friends. But Moishe House was exceptionally transformational for me. So when David Bernstein, Dean of The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies came to speak at our House in February 2009, I decided I wanted to pursue a year of study in Israel.
So here I am, living in Jerusalem, studying Talmud and Bible and learning the texts that established the foundations of our religion. It is challenging and sometimes extremely frustrating to agonize over 10 lines of Biblical Hebrew, but I am fortunate for this opportunity to access my heritage in the place where it all began.
In addition to these intellectual pursuits I have also been working with PresenTense (www.presentense.org) – a non-profit organization whose mission is to reignite the Jewish people by investing in our creativity, pioneers and communities. I was selected as a Fellow in their 2009 Summer Institute, where I worked on The Level8 Network (www.level8giving.com) - a network of giving circles (http://www.presentense.org/magazine/contributor/1089) that aims to engage young Jewish professionals in philanthropy by utilizing their resources to support meaningfully relevant non-profit projects. I am currently combining this project with the PresenTense Group to launch PT Investments – a venture philanthropy fund that will support start-up non-profits with the collective experiences, networks and resources of the investors.
During these past 6 months in Israel I’ve realized what an impact Moishe House made on my life and my community. While working with PresenTense I’ve re-affirmed the values of community, grassroots organizing and leadership that were prevalent in my work as a Moishe House resident. I’ve also had the privilege to meet other leaders from various demographics – locations, ages, levels of observance - who all speak so highly of Moishe House and the impact we are making.
I hope that everyone recognizes that we are creating systematic change to re-engage the post-college Jewish community around the world. Moishe House is truly making a difference, and it is because of our dedication and hard work. So I just wanted to give a shout out to the Moishe House Network and say Congrats, Keep up the good work, and please take advantage of this amazing group of people - our insights and experiences benefit us all.
back to: Pardes Article Index