Jul 9, 2024

New Wynwood-Israeli Moishe House Connects Young Adults to the Land and People of Israel

The first Israeli Moishe House in the US opened its doors in Wynwood earlier this year and has already begun connecting Miami's Jewish community with Israel and the Israeli people. 

The goal of the global Moishe House (MH) organization, a Federation beneficiary, is to engage local Jews, ages 22 to early 30s, within their Jewish community through onsite activities. To that end, each house is made up of three to five residents who organize weekly events for their area. Programming includes Jewish learning, holiday celebrations, tikkun olam (repairing the world) initiatives and social gatherings.

Joining the two existing Miami Moishe Houses in Midtown and the Brickell area, the Wynwood-Israeli MH is led by three Israeli-Americans: David Haddad, Nisim Saada and Karina Turniski. The group is specifically focused on “connecting the growing Israeli young adult population in Miami through the MH lens,” explained Lander Gold, Vice Pesident of Advancement at Moishe House. While there is a Los Angeles-based Israeli MH pod — a two-person house providing smaller scale programming — the Wynwood locale marks the first full Israeli-run Moishe House in the country. Haddad, from Netanya, is looking forward to becoming acquainted with Jewish Miami; Saada, who grew up in Azur near Tel Aviv, is excited to share his Israeli culture and Zionism with the locals; and Turniski, of Karmiel, loves cooking Israeli food and spreading Israeli tastes and traditions.

Founded in 2006 in Santa Barbara when philanthropist Morris Squire empowered Jewish young adults to host a Shabbat dinner, Moishe House has grown to include 150 locations in 28 countries. The Wynwood-Israeli MH is the first to not only connect young adults to the land of Israel but also with the people of Israel, infusing Miami’s diversity into its hosted events and the surrounding neighborhoods. “Since October 7, there’s been a 300 percent increase in interest in Israeli programming,” noted Gold, stressing, “People are looking for a place to feel safe and connect with community and each other.”

For information on Wynwood-Israeli MH programs, click here or contact Adena Walker at [email protected].

For more information on how you can support Moishe House, please contact Simon Kaminetsky, Director of Philanthropic Initiatives, at [email protected] or 786.866.8453.