Moishe Houseplans second site

A SECOND London Moishe House where young Jews organise events for their peers is in the pipeline.

Thousands of young British Jews have shared Friday night dinners, enjoyed musical evenings and taken part in social action projects at the first house in Willesden since it opened nine years ago.

Alejandro Okret, chief global officer of the international Moishe House network’s London office, said: “We’re hoping to open a house in east London. We have a group ready but we don’t have the funding in place. We know there are a lot of things happening in east London but there is a shortage of physical space to gather in good numbers and we want to encourage that.”

Residents of Moishe Houses run several activities every month in return for subsidised rent. Since the first house opened in California 10 years ago, the number of houses across the world has spread to 93 in 22 countries.

In a marquee in the garden of the London house, a large crowd celebrated the network’s 10th anniversary on Sunday in the first of a series of international events.

FormerLondonhousemateAdamRossano recalled how he had found there “what I looked for in a community”. He methisfiancée,BeckyDaniels,thereand nowworksasseniorregionaldirectorin Moishe House’s London office.

Helena Czernek, from Warsaw in Poland, said that the house in the city was “the only Jewish home for most of us”. She met her boyfriend there and they now design Judaica together.

David Cygielman, founder and chief executive of Moishe House who lives in NorthCarolina,saidthatLondonshould not have just one Moishe House. “Chicago has five, San Francisco six, Paris two.”

The London operation is supported by the Jewish Leadership Council’s community chest as well as the Pears and Shoresh Foundations.