My Beijing Bucket List Article Text

My Beijing Bucket List Article Text Global Spotlight: Jamie Fleishman My Beijing Bucket List What do you do with a bachelor’s in Chinese? For Jamie Fleishman, 23, the answer was obvious: move to Beijing and make his way in one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Arriving without a job, community or a place to call home, Jamie shares his story about how he found all of those—and more—where he least expected. When I moved to Beijing, I gave myself three main priorities: find a job, find friends and find a home. Finding a Jewish community barely crossed my mind. But I guess you could say it kind of found me. On my first night in Beijing, a college friend told me that a local Jewish school needed volunteers. So I stopped by and met all sorts of interesting people: students, parents, teachers—and an American couple running their own education company. Within a month, I was working for that very company. Just like that, Jewish community crossed the first item off my list. Find a job. Later, on my first Shabbat at a Beijing synagogue, I heard about Moishe House, a Federation-supported organization that helps young Jews build peer-based communities right in their own homes. I had never heard of Moishe House before, let alone known that a communal space for young Jews existed in Beijing. When Jonathan, a synagogue member and Moishe House resident, invited me over for Shabbat dinner, I met twenty new friends. There was item number two. Make friends. About six months later, Jonathan tapped me on the shoulder during a Moishe House event. “Hey, I’m moving,” he told me. “You should really think about becoming a resident here.” I was honored, and applied that night. Next thing I knew, I was calling Moishe House home, along with two housemates from Toronto and North Carolina. Item three. Find a home. Since then, thanks to Federation’s support, China’s Jewish community and Moishe House in particular have allowed me to add and check off so many items on my Beijing “bucket list”—some of which, I could never have imagined: Organize a Passover Seder. I helped organize a Passover seder at Moishe House for 50 people from diverse backgrounds, from experienced seder-goers to absolute first-timers. Host an interfaith Shabbat dinner. Together with two Muslim friends from Morocco, my Moishe Housemates and I hosted a Shabbat dinner for members of Beijing’s Jewish and Muslim communities. Our conversations were enlightening and inspiring, and a model for future events. Lead a Jewish retreat. Moishe House Beijing and Moishe House Shanghai brought together 27 young Jews from 12 different countries in the city of Kaifeng for a retreat exploring Jewish identity. The highlight for me was a Shabbat dinner with members of the historic Kaifeng Jewish community, some of the last remaining ethnic Chinese Jews in the country. What I’ve learned since joining this incredible community is that Moishe House is a connecting point. We bring together people from all walks of life—from all over China and places like North America, Israel, the UK, France and South Africa—to experience Judaism in our own way. As young people, we are still finding ourselves personally and professionally, figuring out what drives us. Thanks to Moishe House, I realized that having Jewish community at your side makes that search all the more fruitful—wherever in the world you may be. Moishe Houses like Jamie's exist all over the world — in places like England and Russia, as well as our own community. To read more about this global movement, visit www.moishehouse.org and look for our city. .

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