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Forum -> Vacation and Traveling
Shabbat hosting if looking to try out a new community
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nachlaot




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 06 2019, 11:02 am
hi, we're a young couple (no kids) and looking to move in about a year, and there are a few communities we want to try out for a shabbat over the next few months.

are younger, growing communities -- in cities that aren't the major jewish communities --amenable to hosting people who are interested in exploring their communities? would it be received well if we emailed rabbis and introduced ourselves and asked if they could help with arranging shabbat meals and/or lodging (if there's no viable hotel/airbnb in the jewish community)?

I assume nobody wants to host strangers looking for a free vacation, but is it common for community members to host prospective new people? any tips on how to handle this situation with success.
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hodeez




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 06 2019, 11:04 am
Have you heard of shabbat.com? Find a host on the area you want to consider moving to and see how you like it.
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nachlaot




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 06 2019, 11:17 am
hodeez wrote:
Have you heard of shabbat.com? Find a host on the area you want to consider moving to and see how you like it.


never heard of it, and just checked it out. have you actually used and had good experiences, or just heard about the site and are throwing it out there? for one, I'm a little skeptical of something that also markets itself as a dating site. also, we're not just looking for warm food and a bed in a city we're just passing through on vacation, which is what the site might be targeted to, which is the reason I thought of targeting a shul rabbi would be a good idea.
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amother
Periwinkle


 

Post Sun, Jan 06 2019, 11:20 am
nachlaot wrote:
never heard of it, and just checked it out. have you actually used and had good experiences, or just heard about the site and are throwing it out there? for one, I'm a little skeptical of something that also markets itself as a dating site. also, we're not just looking for warm food and a bed in a city we're just passing through on vacation, which is what the site might be targeted to, which is the reason I thought of targeting a shul rabbi would be a good idea.


If you are 'targeting' communities that are in 'growth mode' contacting a shul would be a good way to start. You many not even need to speak to the Rabbi.

Shabbat.com matches hosts to guests. Some hosts might not be right for you - some will. Communicate.

Look here and the resources linked from here. https://www.ou.org/fair/communities/
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amother
Gold


 

Post Sun, Jan 06 2019, 11:21 am
Yes, it's fine to email a shul. Are you in the US? If so, check out the OU list of emerging communities. I believe there's a contact person for each place.
Another way to do this is to post to a local listserv.
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tichellady




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 06 2019, 11:33 am
Yes, this is a normal thing to do. Usually the rabbi will not be the one making the arrangements, but he can point you in the right direction.
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Iymnok




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 06 2019, 11:37 am
Contact the Shul, they often have a hachnosas orchim person. They should be able to direct you to someone who could put you up by people who know the community well.
People generally are happy to host those interested in their community.
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Ema of 5




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 06 2019, 11:39 am
nachlaot wrote:
hi, we're a young couple (no kids) and looking to move in about a year, and there are a few communities we want to try out for a shabbat over the next few months.

are younger, growing communities -- in cities that aren't the major jewish communities --amenable to hosting people who are interested in exploring their communities? would it be received well if we emailed rabbis and introduced ourselves and asked if they could help with arranging shabbat meals and/or lodging (if there's no viable hotel/airbnb in the jewish community)?

I assume nobody wants to host strangers looking for a free vacation, but is it common for community members to host prospective new people? any tips on how to handle this situation with success.

My community frequently hosts people who are looking to move here.
There are some communities where you can go through the shul, and other communities, like mine, where you speak to a friend who lives there and either they host you or find you a place to stay.
If you are looking into Bayswater (which happens to be a wonderful community) please get in touch with me and we can arrange something.
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amother
Pearl


 

Post Sun, Jan 06 2019, 12:07 pm
amother wrote:
Yes, it's fine to email a shul. Are you in the US? If so, check out the OU list of emerging communities. I believe there's a contact person for each place.
Another way to do this is to post to a local listserv.


There is also an emerging communities fair each year. If you stay in a local hotel assuming there is an eruv then you have more privacy and will only be needed hosting for meals. It should be obvious you are not just looking for a free vacation.
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simcha2




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 06 2019, 12:11 pm
As above, we frequently have families coming to check out our community. In fact, when we were looking we didn't know anybody here. We called the shul and they set us up with people for sleeping and meals. Since moving we have frequently been asked to host prospective families.

Completely normal thing to do.
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amother
Emerald


 

Post Sun, Jan 06 2019, 1:57 pm
Our community has grown beyond its bounds at the moment so I'm not sure we're still doing this, but we used to have a hachnachas orchim committee in the shul that made such arrangements. Usually they arrange for sleeping and eating with different families so you can get to know different people and so that the hosting burden is spread out somewhat.

My family once hosted another family that was looking and we're still friends years later even though they ended up going to a different shul and sending to different schools and we wouldn't ordinarily cross paths.
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shabbatiscoming




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 06 2019, 2:32 pm
nachlaot, can I assume by your name that you are in Israel?
If so, when we were looking at communities a billion years ago Wink we looked at the representative on the nefesh bnefesh website for each community. And I called or emailed them to see if we could check out the community for a shabbat. And then we wer hosted by people for shabbat and placed at different families for the different meals. It was lovely.
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Ruchel




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 07 2019, 4:43 am
Some countries have a whole design for this. Others, you need to fend for yourself and may not find, especially if you have several people. We never experienced the shabbes before moving.
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nachlaot




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 07 2019, 3:21 pm
thanks for all the advice. we emailed one rabbi already in a target city and he offered to host us himself!
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amother
Navy


 

Post Mon, Jan 07 2019, 3:38 pm
If you're interested in Cincinnati, it is absolutely encouraged to email a shul rabbi and they will work to set up a visit for you, with meals and lodging. We love showing off our community to prospective visitors.
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nachlaot




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Feb 11 2019, 4:43 pm
hi, we're doing our first visit in a few weeks...

if a shul is arranging housing for us for shabbat, what's the etiquette for staying saturday night as well? is it expected that we get out saturday night and try to find a hotel somewhere nearby if it's an early (winter) shabbat?

we don't want to be schnorrers and overstay our welcome. not sure if it's perfectly typical to stay saturday night as well.
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Ema of 5




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Feb 11 2019, 4:49 pm
nachlaot wrote:
hi, we're doing our first visit in a few weeks...

if a shul is arranging housing for us for shabbat, what's the etiquette for staying saturday night as well? is it expected that we get out saturday night and try to find a hotel somewhere nearby if it's an early (winter) shabbat?

we don't want to be schnorrers and overstay our welcome. not sure if it's perfectly typical to stay saturday night as well.

I think that totally depends on the host, and you should ask them when you speak to them, assuming you speak to them before you get to their house on Friday.
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amother
Apricot


 

Post Mon, Feb 11 2019, 4:53 pm
nachlaot wrote:
hi, we're doing our first visit in a few weeks...

if a shul is arranging housing for us for shabbat, what's the etiquette for staying saturday night as well? is it expected that we get out saturday night and try to find a hotel somewhere nearby if it's an early (winter) shabbat?

we don't want to be schnorrers and overstay our welcome. not sure if it's perfectly typical to stay saturday night as well.


You should definitely ask about that in advance. Unless they are told your plan to stay over, hosting for shabbos wouldn't necessarily include Saturday night.
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amother
Bisque


 

Post Mon, Feb 11 2019, 4:56 pm
nachlaot wrote:
hi, we're doing our first visit in a few weeks...

if a shul is arranging housing for us for shabbat, what's the etiquette for staying saturday night as well? is it expected that we get out saturday night and try to find a hotel somewhere nearby if it's an early (winter) shabbat?

we don't want to be schnorrers and overstay our welcome. not sure if it's perfectly typical to stay saturday night as well.


You should plan to stay somewhere else Saturday night if you can.
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nachlaot




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Feb 11 2019, 4:58 pm
amother wrote:
You should definitely ask about that in advance. Unless they are told your plan to stay over, hosting for shabbos wouldn't necessarily include Saturday night.


we absolutely want to find this out in advance one way or another! I guess my question is whether it's rude to bring up saturday night, or if it's typically something that hosts are fine with.
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