Birthright Israel trip participants have a new Shabbat dinner invitation waiting for them when they return: at their local Moishe Houses.

Moishe House, a growing network of subsidized communal residences for young Jewish adults, recently announced it would team up on Shabbat programming with Birthright NEXT, an initiative that helps the free Israel trip alumni deepen their engagement in Jewish life.

Located in 20 North American communities, from Palo Alto to Philadelphia to Great Neck, Moishe Houses already host Friday night dinners regularly — around two per month each — but directors hope to benefit from NEXT’s programming and extensive network of Birthright alumni.

“We are very similar if not the same populations, and it’s an opportunity that can serve as a model in the Jewish community about the value of Jewish organizations working collaboratively instead of competitively,” said Morlie Levin, CEO of Birthright Israel NEXT.

For both organizations, which share many of the same funders, including the Jim Joseph Foundation and Lynn Schusterman, the partnership just made sense.

“Of the people who live in Moishe Houses, over 50 percent have been on Birthright and over 90 percent have been to Israel,” said David Cygielman, the co-founder and executive director of Moishe House.  Continue reading…