Photos by Dan Schere
Six years after Moishe House opened its hub for young Jewish adults in Arlington, the international organization plans to expand into Fairfax County.
The first step will be to identify people to become residents of the new house, said Ben Romaner, Moishe House’s manager of expansion.
Then, the organization will work with the committed residents to choose the property, he said.
Moishe House, an international organization created to provide local communities for Jews just out of college, has four houses in the Washington area. They serve as hubs in which several young Jewish adults live and host Jewish events for their friends and community.
Last month, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington made a grant to “allow for the development of a second Moishe House in Northern Virginia,” according to the grant statement. “The residents (3 to 5 Jewish 20-somethings) will receive extensive training and resources to turn their rented home into a communal focal point through dynamic and relevant programming such as Shabbat dinners, Jewish holiday celebrations, and more.”
A second Moishe House in Northern Virginia will help address the growth of the area’s Jewish population, 80 percent since 2003, said Lander Gold, Moishe House’s organization’s senior director of advancement and philanthropic partnerships.
When chosen, the residents “will receive extensive training and resources to turn their rented home into a communal focal point through dynamic and relevant programming,” he said.
Gold said the residents will host five or six events each month, either in the house itself or in the community.
