By Alyssa Gorenberg, MHWOW Program Manager
During my first year of MHWOW hosting, I was living with my family members and far from my community. With some creative thinking, I still hosted programs even when the comfort of my own home wasn’t available. Check out all the things I was able to pull off with my friends:
Hosting at your friends’ homes
Shabbat in the City, June 2019
My friends were so helpful when they agreed to host programs with me in their homes. It was a special treat and often times they were interested in hosting their friends, but just didn’t have the means to start. Because MHWOW afforded us the financial and educational resources, my friends and I could focus on the guest list, preparing the space, and other odds and ends.. I was also able to showcase MHWOW and inspire others to go on retreats and become hosts themselves.
Emergent Givers Shabbat, December 2018
Hosting at your office
This one was really special for me because I used MHWOW to teach other people in my office building about Jewish traditions that were important for me to observe. In December, I hosted a Hannukah party for my coworking space to come together to eat latkes and reflect on what brings light into our lives during the holiday season. This past March, I brought together the Jewish organizations in our building to make matanot l’evyonim to observe the Purim commandment.
Matanot L’evyonim Making, March 2019
Hosting outside
This one I am cheating on because I hosted this program after I moved, but hosting outside is a great and affordable way to accommodate large groups. About 30 of my friends from Jewish summer camp and I got together for a reunion and had Shabbat dinner on the beach. Hosting outside provides endless spaces for programs and can allow you to host some of your usual programs in a new way. Rather than a traditional Shabbat dinner what if you hosted a camping Shabbat? If you were feeling like hosting a Tikkun Olam program, you could host a park clean up.
OSRUI Reunion Shabbat Dinner, July 2019
Where else have you hosted outside your own four walls? Let us know by posting your program photos to social media, using #MoisheMoment and tagging us! Happy hosting!
