Moishe House and Birthright Israel NEXT, leading organizations in Jewish young adult engagement, are joining forces to bring the successful Birthright Israel NEXT Shabbat program to the 20 U.S.-based Moishe Houses.

“With over 70,000 participants, The Birthright Israel NEXT Shabbat program has provided funding, education, and training to Birthright Israel trip alumni, resulting in nearly 8,000 peer-led Shabbat meals since the program’s inception 18 months ago,” said Birthright Israel NEXT CEO Morlie Levin. “Our partnership will enhance Moishe House’s existing Shabbat program with educational resources and training for hosts, and is an example of the kind of collaboration we would like to be involved in as NEXT scales up its educational platform.”

According to both Birthright Israel NEXT and Moishe House a growing movement of young adults is interested in learning about and celebrating Shabbat. This reflects what each organization believes is an expression of young adults’ desire to build community even as this generation moves through what many refer to as “odyssey years” (the extended post college, pre-marriage years). Data from the NEXT Shabbat program shows, for example, that 73% of NEXT Shabbat meals were attended by guests who had never experienced a home-based Shabbat meal before.

To learn more about the Moishe House NEXT Shabbat program check the program website.