By Jonah Rothstein, Jewish Education Retreats Manager

Our goal for staff-led Jewish learning retreats is to present Jewish content that is relevant for residents and hosts and can enhance your experience with Moishe House to uplift your personal Jewish practices. For example, there is demand for Jewish outdoor programming, which is clear through the popularity of two upcoming retreats, Take a Hike: Havdallah Outdoors and Get Wild: A Jewish Outdoor Adventure. 

Participants on these retreats will take home knowledge and skills to be able to craft their own programming on the intersections between Judaism and the great outdoors. Our educators model their vision of the topic, and we want you all to bring it home and recreate these programs in a way that works for you and your community. 

There are still many retreats available for you to attend this year. For more descriptions of all these retreats, click HERE.

  • RSJ Retreat: Stories for our Future San Francisco, CA – August 9-11
  • The Spiritual Architect: The Sukkah as an Art Form Asheville, NC – August 16-18
  • The MHWOW Retreat Atlanta, GA – Nov. 8-10
  • Jewish Coalition Building San Diego, CA – Nov. 15-17
  • Hanukkah: Spark Joy! Berlin, Germany – Nov. 15-17
  • Retreatology – East Coast Falls Village, CT – Nov. 22-24
  • Demystifying Money Oracle, AZ – Dec. 13-15

Staff-led Jewish learning retreats take place over weekends about once a month throughout the US, and twice a year abroad for our international Moishes. These weekends cost nothing to attend; participation is fully subsidized thanks to the generosity of our funders, and travel to attend our retreats is also heavily subsidized. 

Did you know that community members that attend a retreat are eligible to become MHWOW hosts? MHWOW is an amazing program that allows you to create your dream Jewish community on your own terms with funding from Moishe House. If you know someone who you think would be great for Moishe House, suggest that they apply for a learning retreat!  

When I’m not on retreats, I’m working on planning the ones ahead. Looking to 2020 and beyond, I’m most interested in what you all want to learn that would benefit your Moishe House experience. 

What kinds of things are you passionate about, and what does Judaism have to share about that? If you have any suggestions for future retreat topics, send me an email I’d love to hear from you.