Lessons from Israel Take Root in Philadelphia
Written by Jan Jaben-Eilon Thursday, June 09 2011
Snapshot: Rebecca Karp
Rebecca Karp is one of the founders of Philadelphia’s Moishe House, a worldwide community with more than 30 houses across the globe, and assistant director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in Philadelphia/southern New Jersey.
With Moishe House, Karp serves the Jewish community of Philadelphia youth in their 20s by hosting events in either the social, social justice, or Jewish communal arenas. With AJC, she works to build bridges between the greater Philadelphia Jewish community and the African-American, Latino, Christian, and Catholic communities.
Karp sits on the board of The Idea Coalition, a black-Jewish professional network which brings together Jews and African-Americans to make Philadelphia a better place to live, work, and play. Following her graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, she spent a year studying Jewish texts in Jerusalem, Israel, at Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.
Womenetics: You are one of the founders of Philadelphia’s Moishe House. Could you please explain what that is and why you thought it was important to start this?
Rebecca Karp: Moishe House is a community of houses around the world where the residents create programming for Jews and their friends in their 20s. Programs range from themed Shabbat dinners to social justice workshops to happy hours, to hip-hop dance classes, all within the context of facilitating Jewish community for people ages 21 to 30. Residents live in the house on a volunteer basis, and, in the case of Philadelphia, plan somewhere between 10 to 14 programs a month. We have a monthly program budget, and we also each receive a rent subsidy.
I wanted to start a Moishe House in Philadelphia because I was searching for a vibrant Jewish community to match the type of community I had while I was studying in Israel at The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. Through MASA Israel Journey, I was able to spend a year in Israel and loved the community I found there. When I returned home, I didn’t quite mesh with the options that existed for Jewish young adults in Philadelphia at the time, and Moishe House was a way to create my own community with other like-minded individuals.
Over time, Moishe House Philadelphia has become a staple in the Jewish landscape for young professionals and students here in the city. Often, Moishe House Philadelphia is the only Jewish communal activity many young adults participate in here, and we try and really listen to our community members in planning our programs.
Womenetics: You work for a well-known American Jewish organization. Why did you want to work there?
Karp: Working for AJC has been the culmination of a long path that I didn’t even realize I was on. Growing up, I had always worked in Jewish communal service, whether or not I called it that. I was active in Hebrew and Sunday school through the end of high school, took leadership roles through Hillel, was an adviser for elementary school youth groups, and ran fundraising programming at Pardes, post-college. I worked with kids, teens, and young adults. But I had not yet worked with adults.
I learned about AJC through a colleague and friend, and the more I researched, the more I knew the organization was a good fit. Working in intergroup and interreligious relations to build bridges amongst minority communities is a wonderful way to learn about and advocate on behalf of so many different communities. I also strongly felt that this was a position in which I would constantly be learning and challenging myself. And four years later, I’m happy to say I’m still as passionate about AJC as I was on my first day.
Womenetics: Tell me what kind of work you do.
Karp: In Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, we work closely with the African-American, Latino, Chinese, evangelical, and main-line Protestant groups, to name a few, on issues of mutual import, as well as dialoguing with each other to build trust and for reciprocal education. We try to build strong bridges with other communities based on shared advocacy and interests.
Womenetics: You have worked with many ethnicities, attempting to build bridges. Do you feel like you have made a difference?
Karp: While I always believe there is more work to be done, I do feel that AJC is a leader in creating connections amongst communities over shared values and common goals. Through true and lasting relationship building, AJC has bonds with many disparate groups and has worked to effectuate change in key areas of immigration, race relations, Israel advocacy, and energy security.
A quick story: Through our African-American and Jewish women’s dialogue group, an African-American member of our group cultivated a profound sense of pride for the Jewish friends she made and the similarities she felt (rightly so) we have with each other. While on a vacation in Paris, she overheard some particularly choice comments about Jews. Instead of listening and moving on, this woman spoke up to the commentators with a thoughtful and educated response, so moved by her experiences within our dialogue group. It is through personal connections and trust on both sides that lasting bridges are built.
Womenetics: What is your biggest challenge doing this type of work?
Karp: Building relationships takes time. Sometimes we would like to see an outcome sooner than it’s ready to be realized, and that can feel disappointing. But each bit of understanding, on both sides, works toward our ultimate goal of mutual advocacy and acceptance. It is challenging to begin building relationships before they might be necessary, but that is often the case with the nature of our work. I hope to get to a place where we are reaching out to begin a conversation without a preset agenda or specific talking points to cover, but rather in times of relative calm to begin a conversation on a level playing field.
Womenetics: What was it like studying in Israel for a year after your college graduation?
Karp: I loved my experience at Pardes in Jerusalem. Being able to learn for a year about my history, the laws and customs, our stories, and the way many of those laws and customs were delineated is something I will take with me for the rest of my life. In addition to having the ability to study, I was also living in my own apartment, paying bills in a foreign country, and navigating the supermarkets in Hebrew. I feel incredibly lucky that I was able to have this experience, and I must say, it would not have been possible without MASA Israel Journey. I did not, on my own, have the funds to spend an extended period of time in Israel, and MASA allowed me the cushion to do so.
Pardes changed my life and set me on the path to who I am today and to what I have accomplished thus far.
Womenetics: Who has been most influential in your life?
Karp: My parents and family have played a large role in shaping who I am. My strong sense of identity and adherence to my values comes from their nurturing of my unique soul and the example by which they lived. It should also come as no surprise, that there are certain teachers at Pardes who strongly influenced me as well. Beyond what I learned from them in the classroom, the kinds of people they are, and the authenticity with which they live their lives, is something I try to emulate to this day.
Womenetics: When you were a child, how did you visualize your adulthood?
Karp: I wanted to be an actress or an actress/singer on Broadway. I also saw myself with a family, as a mom, and living an active Jewish life.
Womenetics: What do you do to relax?
Karp: I enjoy reading novels, nonfiction, and magazines. I love spending time with friends and loved ones – doing what, it doesn’t matter much as long as we’re together and enjoying each other’s company. I also run and practice yoga fairly regularly, which relaxes me and allows me time to be just with myself and my thoughts. On occasion I write poetry, helping me to work through a problem or focus on a challenge. I also cook, sometimes for hours, and love preparing meals and entertaining.
Jan Jaben-Eilon was a founding staff writer of the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Since then, she has been the international editor of Advertising Age magazine and has written for such publications as The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Washington Journalism Review, and Consumer Reports. She is the author of soon-to-be-published (There is) Life After Cancer. Jan and her husband have homes in Atlanta and Jerusalem.
