20 Years of Stories: Meet Eva Srut
When Eva Srut first applied to open a Moishe House in Prague in 2014, she had no idea the journey would lead her across the world: throughout Europe and South America, to Australia and New Zealand, and even to South Africa, as Mem Global’s Senior Director of Global Communities.
But back in 2014, Eva was 23, had just finished her studies in Stockholm, and was in the midst of an invigorating period of transition. “I had just started my first big job and was figuring out adulthood in general,” she reminisces. “Everything felt very new and exciting.”
One thing was still missing, though: a Jewish community. The chance to lead a Moishe House, and create her own space for people to gather, “felt like the missing piece of the puzzle,” she explains. It “came into my life at the perfect time.”
As one of the founding Residents of Moishe House Prague, Eva seized this opportunity to “build the kind of Jewish community that didn’t really exist in Prague yet.” She vividly remembers the energy of those early days: “the community felt very alive, curious, and supportive,” she says. “People really wanted to connect, not just show up for an event.”
When she first became a Resident, Eva admits that she thought she was just signing up to host programs with her friends. But she quickly realized that being a Resident could be so much more than that – and she loved it.
“I learned how to build community, bring people together, and create spaces where others could belong,” she enthuses. “Those lessons stayed with me far beyond my Resident years.”
During those years, she came into her own as a Jewish adult, able to take charge of both small rituals and big celebrations in ways that felt authentic to her. “One of the things I love most about Mem Global is that it trusts young adults to lead,” she says proudly. “As a Resident, I wasn’t an expert – I was just someone who cared about creating meaningful Jewish experiences.”
That lack of expectation was refreshing – and it made her feel confident to keep learning and trying new things, embracing every opportunity that came her way.
Before being a Resident, for example, she had attended seders but never hosted one herself. After attending a Passover learning retreat in Paris, though, she decided to give it a shot.
“It definitely wasn’t perfect,” she recalls fondly, “but it was incredibly meaningful.”
Now, hosting a seder is one of her favorite traditions.
Attending that retreat, and other Moishe House gatherings, also gave her a glimpse of the Mem Global team in action.
“I loved the culture and relationships I saw between the staff members … It honestly looked like the coolest place to work,” she says with a grin.
So, when she saw a job opening for a global Community Manager, she threw herself eagerly into this new challenge. Ten years later, she confirms that working at Mem Global is, in fact, “the coolest.”
After starting as a Community Manager, supporting Moishe Houses across Europe, South Africa and Australia, Eva’s role continued to grow. She is now the Senior Director of Global Communities, overseeing the entire Global Jewish Education department, the Global Resident Support team, and the RSJ [Russian Speaking Jewish] team.
Her work takes her around the world, collaborating with regional teams to support their individual needs, while guiding the broader strategic vision of the organization. She works hard to ensure that every decision they make “makes sense for the very different communities we serve globally.”
What she loves most, though, are the Resident training conferences, where she gets to see young adults from around the world come together in one place.
“The moment you see Residents getting off the bus, excited to meet each other and learn together, you remember why you do this work,” she reflects. Even ten years later, she always feels like she learns something new from each new group of Community Builders, and she loves watching as their skills and confidence build, just as hers did.
Her time at Mem Global has involved so much growth – both personally and professionally. After being a Resident in Moishe House Prague, she moved in with her boyfriend, who she later married.
“I always joke that I’ve had a longer relationship with Mem Global than with my husband!” Eva laughs. They now have a family and she proudly describes herself as “a working mama,” with two young kids who keep her “very busy, very entertained and very happy.”
At the same time, she’s seen Mem Global grow and change, supporting more and more communities around the world.
“I genuinely love evolving alongside the organization,” she says warmly.
Looking back, Eva can trace so much of her life to that first decision to apply for a Moishe House.
“Through Mem Global, I found community, purpose, leadership opportunities, lifelong friendships, and eventually even a career,” she reflects. “It gave me confidence to create Jewish experiences that felt authentic to me and showed me that bringing people together can be incredibly powerful.”
If someone is considering taking that first step themselves, her advice is simple:
“Do it. It might change your life.”
If you want to support more journeys like Devon’s, consider giving to one of our 20 Ways to Give! Created in honor of Mem Global’s 20th anniversary, these are 20 meaningful opportunities to support the programs that make a difference for Jewish young adults around the world, including sponsoring a year of programming at a Base.