We are excited to welcome hundreds of young adults (22-40) to our annual Open House Party on September 10th. In addition to meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends, you’ll have the chance to get to know over 55 different organizations with awesome opportunities for you to get involved in the Jewish community. Want to know who will be there and what you can talk to them about? As we count down to the big event, we’ll be giving you a sneak peek into just some of the many organizations that you’ll meet with these quick organization spotlights.

This week we met with Sam Dreyfus, Membership Chair of Moishe Kavod House to find out more about his experience and what's happening in the house.

Who are you and how did you get involved in the organization?

I'm the new Membership Chair of the Moishe Kavod House. I got involved a couple of summers ago after some friends told me that there was a place where people our age were leading each other in song-filled Shabbat services and then eating pot luck dinners together. I dropped by with a salad one Friday night and found a musically rich, high-energy Shabbat service in a cozy living room. After dinner and more songs, a group of us went to a nearby park and stargazed. I knew that this was a community I wanted to be in.

What do you love most about working with young adults?

I love how we can dream big dreams for ourselves and our communities, set ambitious goals for achieving them--goals that many of us have never executed before, very "grown-up" tasks--and then, in working toward those goals and dreams, discover that we are the ones we've been waiting for.

What's new and exciting this year?

Every year the Moishe Kavod House's all-volunteer teams create new ways for people to engage with each other, the community, and the wider world. This year we have two new teams starting up--a Learning Team to create study opportunities and an Inclusivity Team to make sure the community starts at home in living its values of equality and justice for all people--and existing teams like the Sex Ed Team and the Housing Justice Team are developing new programs and partnerships.

What do you love most about Boston’s Jewish community?

We are growing such a rich garden! I feel rooted and at home in "mainstream" synagogue life--I grew up at Temple Israel in Boston and I work at the Jewish Community Relations Council--and at the same time I feel supported by established institutional leaders to participate in and lead smaller, innovative communities like the Moishe Kavod House. I am recurrently amazed by the energy, vision, and savvy of my peers, whether in creating creating intimate Shabbat experiences in our homes, pushing existing institutions to adapt to our needs and live up to our values, or creating and leading new communities.

What are you looking forward to most about attending Open House Party? 

I have been very focused on the communities I am part of, so I'm excited for the opportunity to take in what else is going on!

Anything else we should know or a fun fact about the organization?

We've just started a monthly singing circle--not a performance group, just folks getting together and singing songs--and would love to have you join us at our September circle! (Date will be announced shortly)