Rockville Centre resident hosts Project Inspire garden party

Lauren Moss of Rockville Centre partnered with Project Inspire Long Island, last weekend, to host a summertime garden party at her home. Roughly 60 women of diverse Jewish backgrounds came together for an evening of inspirational wisdom and conversation.

Project Inspire is a national nonprofit organization that works to connect and inspire Jews of all levels of faith through the power of shared experiences. Its goal is to create a movement of unity and mutual inspiration for people of the Jewish faith.

“I had no idea what being Jewish was,” Moss said. “You have people who grew up their whole lives who don’t even know why they do what they do. They just do it because their parents did it. They don’t necessarily connect with it the way we connect with it.”

Moss said she grew up in a secular home and didn’t have a Bat Mitzvah, but wanted to get a better understanding for her heritage. She said that by bringing people together, Project Inspire helps dispel the misconceptions about the different types of Judaism by creating a unifying relationship between different groups.

The garden party event included talks with Deborah Katz about intimacy and relationships, and Spruce D’Vine of Cedarhurst, which generously provided the kosher rose wine and educated the women about their vineyards.

“I offered to host the event,” Moss said. “I thought it would be a really fun idea for the summer.”

She said that her home in Rockville Centre served as a nice, central location for everyone to meet — whether they were traveling from communities in Suffolk or areas closer to home like the Five Towns.

Local leaders with Project Inspire Long Island including Esti Stahler, Shiffy Edelman, Tziporah Sacks, Julie Joseph and Tzipi Charlop from the Five Towns and Long Beach areas, were also at the event.

As leaders of the organization, they are in charge of guiding other women of Jewish faith on trips to Israel with the goal of empowering them to create a more vibrant and unified Jewish community.

The leaders also plan and organize three-day retreats, including one to Puerto Rico in December, and another to Poland scheduled in March.

Moss said that she — along with Nancy Hochhauser and Alyce Goodstein — has been involved with Project Inspire for the last 10 years. She said that she first got involved after her husband, David, attended the first men’s trip to Israel and was blown away by the education and connection to his fellow participants, and inspired his wife to sign-up.

“It has really changed our lives,” Moss said. “We’ve been on this journey of discovery and we’re recognizing our heritage has so many beautiful things about it.”

Together they both host monthly “whiskey and wisdom” events and serve as ambassadors for the organization.

“There is nothing more beautiful than learning about your heritage and there is nothing more beautiful than sharing it with your friends and family,” Moss said.

For those interested in participating as part of the Project Inspire community, email Info@ProjectInspire.com for more details.