Joseph Glanzberg, 23, moved into Moishe House Baltimore a month and a half ago. At Moishe House, a few young Jewish residents live together while putting on inclusive and enjoyable programming for their peers.
After growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., Glanzberg received an undergraduate degree from Carnegie Mellon University in computational neuroscience. Glanzberg now works full time as a neuroscience researcher at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
What does a neuroscience researcher do?
I study the drug addiction centers in the brain and try to find how the neurons work in that part of the brain so that we can either interfere or prevent and help treat addiction. I think it’s interesting and it definitely needs to get done. I work in the data analysis aspect of it.
What is Moishe House?
Moishe House is a community for young Jewish adults to really create an environment where people feel safe and are able to meet other Jews and discuss whatever they feel like they want to talk about.
How did you hear about this opportunity?
Facebook ads, but also, I heard of it a little as an undergrad. Then, one of the current housemates reached out when I said I was looking for somewhere to live and asked if I wanted to move in.
How is your experience living there so far?
It’s going great. Everyone here is really fun and at least they’re kind and nice to live with. Running events is something I’ve done before, and this is a good easy social outlet. So it’s going well.
How long does the average person live there?
We’re maxed out at like three years. But from what I understand, the average is around two. I’ll definitely be here for at least a year and a half. I don’t know, just because I joined in the middle of the current lease. I’m not sure about past that, depending on where I work after that.
What are some of the programs you have there?
The programs are a pretty wide range of events there. We had a barbecue [earlier this month]. We’re going to have a couple of more picnic events, bagels and brunch and pre-Shabbat shots. We do whatever is easy enough for us to plan.
How are the other people that live there helping you with your career and your social life?
They’re a great help at events. At every event that we run, there’s at least two or three of us there, and the events get run really easily, which takes a lot of burden out of running the events. We’re a relatively supportive group.
What’s the dynamic like in the house?
Living in the Moishe House, you have pretty much as much independence as you would have if you were living in any other apartment. We all have our own living space areas around like bathrooms. We just share a living room and a kosher kitchen.
How would you describe your relationship with Judaism?
Religion is a strong backbone for me. It’s a good supportive ideology when it comes to how to be a good person and functioning generally in society. The cultural aspects of holidays and family are pretty critical to me and help a lot with the community and meeting people.
