“Weathering the Economic Storm: Young Adult Edition” was a great success! Nearly 50 young adults came out to learn tips on networking and relationship-building from our panelists. Stay tuned for a blog post from one of the participants at the event – and in the meantime, check out some pictures on our Facebook page.

This event was a great way to respond to the immediate needs of young adults, and we are also working to mobilize our community to take action on the larger issues behind the economic crisis. Inspired by the efforts of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization and the JCRC, GesherCity has taken leadership in organizing groups across the Jewish young adult community.

This upcoming Tuesday, May 12th, 6:30pm at the Vilna Shul, we will be gathering for an Economic Crisis Assembly. This event will offer background on the crisis, have breakout groups in which participants can share stories in order to better understand the particular ways in which the economic crisis is impacting young adults, and begin to envision solutions. Dinner will be provided! In June, we will convene with other Jewish young adult groups to discuss common themes coming out of this event and others like it, and strategize about action to take together.

Check out our website for all the details, and RSVP to Julie if you can make it: jaronowitz@jcrcboston.org. Hopefully together we can imagine ‘the world as it should be’ and take some steps to getting there!

WEATHERING THE ECONOMIC STORM: YOUNG ADULT EDITION

Having recently spent a great deal of time looking for a job (I finished grad school in June and spent 6 months searching for a job that would feed my soul and at least cover my rent)  I know all too well the stress and worry that comes along with this economic situation. I was fortunate enough to find a job that is a perfect fit for me, and I’m now thrilled to help put together an event to help people deal with professional hardships, whatever they may be.

Perhaps you can identify with one of these descriptions:

• You’ve been at the same job since you graduated and you’re ready to move on, but you feel pressure to stay put since jobs are pretty difficult to find these days;

• You have been laid off and want to use that opportunity to consider changing fields;

• You’re unemployed and just haven’t been able to make the networking connections you want;

• You’re happy in your job but just want to get tips so that you can stay informed and prepared since we all feel vulnerable right now.

These are the sorts of issues that we noticed were not being addressed in our community. That’s where our event comes in!

Monday, May 4th, 6:45pm

CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE DETAILS & TO REGISTER!

This event is designed to be relevant to a wide spread of young adults. There will be three terrific panelists, representatives from Jewish Vocational Service, and time for networking, schmoozing, and resume-reviewing.

The event costs $10 and includes a dessert reception. SPACE IS LIMITED and pre-registration is required! Please contact me (agewertz@jccgb.org) with any questions you might have.

I look forward to seeing you there!

–Alexis

As promised, GesherCity has the hookup to events and seders galore for young adults in Boston. Our special events page will give you holiday info and lots of opportunities to observe and celebrate. Check it out!

On another Passover-related note, we’ve been Tweeting (updating on Twitter) about LOTS of great Passover-related videos, articles, and tidbits (like this hysterical “Facebook Haggadah”) – for some reason this holiday brings out the humorous side in us Jews!

Seen any online Pesach humor worth sharing? Leave a comment below!

While this video is intended for the POST-Pesach conundrum of what to do with all that extra Matzah, it is also great for getting us in the Passover spirit!

Stay tuned for another GesherCity holiday special – all the events happening in Boston to help you partake in the rituals and celebrations of Pesach.

Idan Raichel

Since I’ve first heard the Idan Raichel Project’s music I’ve been amazed by the seductive hooks, danceable beats, and mixing of languages. This popular Israeli music group has recently released their 3rd album and is currently touring to promote it. On Tuesday night, Boston gets a visit by the multi-talented musician.

From their website:

The Idan Raichel Project burst onto Israel’s music scene in 2002, changing the face of Israeli popular music and offering a message of love and tolerance that resonated strongly in a region of the world where headlines are too often dominated by conflict. With an enchanting blend of African, Latin American, Caribbean and Middle Eastern sounds coupled with sophisticated production techniques and a spectacular live show, the Idan Raichel Project has become one of the most unexpected success stories in Israeli music history.

See them perform live on Tuesday night, hosted by CrashArts/World Music. The show is at the Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA at 7:30 PM. Find out more details on the GesherCity Calendar

Watch the Idan Raichel Project’s biggest hit:

Purim party options are plentiful in Boston this year. GesherCity has put together a special feature on all these young adult and community events on our website. Its an exciting time of year when the Jewish community all over Boston puts on parties and shows. Some of the Purim celebrations are artistic and some focus on the holiday rituals but all are fun and spirited.

Heard about a party that isn’t listed here? Please leave a comment and let us know! Or come back afterwards and post a review and your pictures.

PURIM EVENTS IN BOSTON

GesherCity Boston has done it again! We brought out more young adults than ever before for an InfoSchmooze event – 200 people joined us at District on Tuesday, February 24th.

Lauren Fein from ADL & Elana Boehm from Pathways

Sam Feldman & Leah Winthrop greet participants at the GesherCity table!

The crowd at District

To see all the photos from this great event, visit our Facebook Fan Page. (As always, we are super grateful to our volunteer photographer, Howie Hecht!)

There were a great blend of new and returning participants, along with new organizations (like the New Center for Arts and Culture, AJCBoston-ACCESS, Workmen’s Circle) to present alongside “classics” on the young adult scene (CJP’s Young Leadership Division, Tremont St. 20’s & 30’s) – with groups representing everything in between (Chai Center, Coed Jewish Sports). In total, we squeezed in over 20 different organizations! I am continually impressed by the wide range of programs we have here in Boston for Jewish young adults, and am so excited that we are able to serve the community with such great events to bring ‘em all together.

Were you there? We’d love to hear what you thought of the InfoSchmooze, so leave us a comment!

Hi, friendly readers of the GesherCity Boston blog! This is Alexis Gewertz, the new Event Coordinator for GesherCity. I thought I’d write because I am SUPER excited about our upcoming event, the InfoSchmooze on Feb. 24th. This is just another online space where I can talk about my excitement, after having used facebook, twitter, and our website. THAT’S how excited I am!

District Restaurant and Lounge in Boston

INFOSCHMOOZE DETAILS:

February 24th…7 :00pm…District…180 Lincoln Street, Boston…18 Jewish organizations…LOTS of Jews!

This is my first event and I have been working hard to make sure it’s going to be a great time. I hope everyone reading this comes out because it is going to be a blast and hey, what else is there to do on a Tuesday night in the sad & cold month of February?

Also, I want to  pester everyone about RSVPing for the event. It’s quick & easy and will save you some $$ at the door, so make it happen. Use it as another means of procrastination (because you’ve probably checked Facebook enough for the moment…). C’mon. All the cool Jews are doing it.

Anyways, that’s about all from me. Please be sure to contact me (boston@geshercity.org) with questions about the event or GesherCity more generally. I’ve already met a handful of great GesherCity-ites (Gesherstonians?) and I look forward to meeting more of you, so when you show up for the InfoSchmooze be sure to introduce yourself!

See you all on SCHMOOZEDAY TUESDAY!

–Alexis

A recent post at JEWCY explores one woman’s adventures in dating. I’d have to agree that the single world can have its surprises. In this case, the author takes the unusual view of looking at her own Jewish identity by examining who she has dated. How about we expand this idea? Each individual identity is based not only on our own opinion but our relationship to other events in our lives. We could examine our Jewish identity by looking at our housing situations, in Boston or beyond. Or we could look at where we have spent major Jewish holidays and how far we would travel from Boston to make them possible.

Here is the link to the full article of Lilit Marcus reflections of her Jewish identity through dating article. What’s your take on it?

Alan Lew dies; Rabbi and Jewish Meditation teacher

I was saddened to hear this week of the passing of Rabbi Alan Lew. Rabbi Lew, age 65,  died suddenly this week while jogging while visiting the East Coast. He is recognized as a leader of Jewish meditation and a voice for social justice, especially through his congregation in the San Francisco area. You can read a news article here about his death – I’d like to share my thoughts about his life.

In an unusual path to becoming a Rabbi, Lew spent 10 years as a Zen Buddhist monk before entering Rabbinical school. This combination of fascination for Eastern practices and Jewish learning was how I first heard of him.

About 10 years ago, I was also very interested in meditation and Eastern religious practices. I enjoyed the simplicity of ritual I found, and the calming practices of meditation in silence and wonder in nature. My brother (not much of a Jewish practitioner himself at the time) happened to find Rabbi Lew’s book One God Clapping and bought it for me. I read it with rapt attention. The book is Rabbi Lew’s spiritual autobiography and he didn’t shy away from telling the good along with the bad in his life. Most of all, I learned that there were other Jewish spiritual searchers like myself and Rabbi Lew seemed to be a few steps farther along the journey and he had found it a valuable one to take. The book was one step of a path that opened my eyes to the wealth of current spiritual leaders within Judaism. People like Rabbis Zalman Shacter-Shalomi, Shefa Gold, Shawn Zevitt, and many others.

Teachers like this opened up the possibility to me of feeling a Jewish connection while enjoying a sunset, waking up in the morning, or even during services (ha!).

About a year ago, I attended a meditation and lecture by Rabbi Lew. He listened patiently to people’s questions and answered with thoughtful insights inspired by his knowledge of both meditation and the literature of Jewish sages. Its hard to put into words someone’s meditation style, but I felt that my own practice was stronger that day. I would also open my eyes during the practice some times do take a peek at “the master” and see him sitting in his pose rigid and calm, and then return to my meditation.

I feel personally and collectively the loss of Rabbi Lew this week and I pray that his memory is a blessing and we all continue his work and to share his teachings.

- Jeremy