Moishe Pod residents seek to grow young Jewish community
'Our goal is to meet people wherever they are'
Two recent transplants to Pittsburgh are happy with their new home, they just want it to grow. Weeks ago, Beth VanderStoep, 31, and Justin Regan, 32, moved to the East End. Before the paint even dried on their walls, however, the young couple were already considering ways of opening their residence to soon-to-be friends.
Doing so, as representatives of Moishe Pod, is consistent with the married pair’s prior life in Baltimore, where for more than four years VanderStoep and Regan’s downtown apartment was a haven for young Jewish adults.
It wasn’t unusual for 15 to 20 couples to constantly come through the couple’s door, VanderStoep told the Chronicle: “Justin and I are raging extroverts.”
It also helped that “we were one of the few folks in downtown Baltimore, in our friend group, that had a proper living room,” she added.
Creating a space for fellow young Jewish adults was inspired by watching ways synagogues and other Jewish organizations operated, Regan said.
“In downtown Baltimore, the Jewish community there can be kind of difficult to cobble together at times,” he said. “We saw firsthand how important Moishe House can be.”
Created in 2006, Moishe House is a collection of homes serving as hubs for young Jewish adults. Each Moishe House is home to several residents who receive a rent subsidy as well as assistance toward creating pluralistic Jewish programs for individuals largely between the ages of 21 and 32. After opening in 2012, Moishe House Pittsburgh operated for about a decade.
Residents regularly hosted Kabbalat Shabbat services, food and wine nights and discussions about racial justice.
Shortly before moving to Pittsburgh, VanderStoep and Regan reached out to Mem Global (Moishe House’s parent organization) about creating a Moishe Pod. Similar to Moishe Houses but smaller, Moishe Pods have two residents who are responsible for running three programs each month.
MemGlobal gave VanderStoep and Regan the green light and agreed to provide a rent subsidy and program stipend.
The couple already has some ideas for recurring activities.
“Basically the model that Justin and I are really looking at is having one type of Shabbat dinner or Shabbat activity a month, and then two events that really encourage people to get out of their comfort zone,” VanderStoep said.
Through hikes, museum visits and other programs, VanderStoep and Regan hope to connect with other Jewish young adults, but with a “special emphasis on Jews that are not necessarily going to walk into a synagogue or maybe Jews that are not automatically walking through the JCC — that maybe their way of doing engagement is getting beers with other Jews once a month,” she said.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be regular holiday or Shabbat programming, Regan explained.
“There’ll be some stuff that will involve more of a religious angle. There’ll be stuff that involves less of that and more just social,” he said.
“Our goal is to meet people wherever they are,” VanderStoep said.
Both Regan and VanderStoep are experienced in organized Jewish communal life.
A former public radio host and reporter in Arizona, Regan is a Jewish professional and educator who hosted “American Rabbi Project,” a three-season podcast showcasing America’s Jewish spiritual leaders. VanderStoep, assistant director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Relations Council, holds a master’s degree in sustainable communities from Northern Arizona University and formerly served as assistant director of Goucher Hillel and advocacy coordinator for Hillel Ontario.
Before moving to Pittsburgh, VanderStoep helped found Baltimore Area Jewish Feminists.
The group, she said, “combats the intersection of sexism and antisemitism through state and grassroots advocacy.”
When a position at Pittsburgh’s Federation opened, VanderStoep and Regan gave Pittsburgh some thought.
“The job sounded amazing, and the community sounded absolutely amazing,” VanderStoep said.
The couple said they admire the success of other local Jewish groups, including Chabad Young Professionals and Federation’s Young Adult Division, that provide young residents opportunities for engagement.
“Our goal is to complement what people are already doing, not to compete,” VanderStoep said.
Regan, who after hosting NPR’s “All Things Considered” for Arizona Public Radio went on to teach religious school at Temple Isaiah in Fulton, Maryland, and serve as marketing director for Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom Congregation in Baltimore, said he and VanderStoep are looking forward to connecting with new peers and conveying that “there’s ways to do Jewish meaningfully — that Judaism is something for every moment of your life, and that includes this moment.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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