A Bit Off the Top uses social media tools to connect young Jewish adults to relevant things happening in their community, as seen through the eyes of the Director of Young Adult Outreach and Engagement – a GEN J initiative at Federation CJA.

LE MOOD is a Montreal festival that encourages participants to explore and connect with Jewish life in ways that are unexpected, off-beat and personally meaningful. This summer festival brings together art, culture and learning in one space. With more than 65 sessions to choose from during its inaugural event on June 5, 2011, LE MOOD offered a hard-hitting line-up of engaging sessions that presented diverse perspectives on Jewish traditions. The day long happening featured more than 100 of Montreal’s most dynamic performers, personalities and Jewish educators. From hands-on workshops, to interactive study sessions, as well as film screenings, lectures, meditation, panel debates, dinner, exhibits and performances, LE MOOD draws upon diverse programming to provide relevant experiences for all participants. LE MOOD was inspired by the original, week-long Limmud (Hebrew for learning) festival that has taken place annually in England for the past 30-years. In Montreal, LE MOOD was largely conceived and created by a grassroots group of Jewish young adults seeking to explore Jewish life as they define it.

Supporting Jewish writers in Montreal, the Inaugural Writer’s Workshop and Tour brought together 25 young adults and mentors in the Plateau on Sunday, August 29, 2010.
The writers took part in a one-hour historic tour of famous Jewish landmarks in the neighbourhood. A two-hour writer’s workshop followed, led by Jewish author David Homel.
The group hopes to hold sessions two to four times per year.

The Internet Start-Up Circle is a pilot project that brings together Jewish Internet start-up entrepreneurs and programmers of all levels. The monthly gatherings will offer participants a chance for industry peer-mentoring and knowledge-transfer from successful business leaders.

More than 100 soccer aficionados descended upon Federation CJA’s Peace Garden to enjoy an afternoon barbecue and to watch the Argentina vs. Mexico match during the 2010 World Cup.

The sport is an international favourite and served to bring together young Jewish adults from Russia, Spain, Argentina, Morocco, France and Canada, who were looking to meet others with similar interests

From September 22 to 29, during the festival of Succoth, a Sukkah in the Streets was erected on the grounds of the Sufi Muslim Centre on Fairmount Street in the Mile-End district.

Kicking off the month-long Nomad Festival, which celebrates hospitality, sharing, minimalism and friendship, the traditional values of nomadic people, the Sukkah in the Streets brought together more than 100 Jews and their Mile-End neighbours. A slew of daily programs took place, including two festive dinners, lectures, a food canning workshop, and multiple yoga sessions.

Despite the rain, about 100 young Jewish adults and other community members pitched in to clean-up the banks of the historic Lachine Canal during the 3rd Annual Teva Quebec Loblaw’s Shoreline Clean-Up. This was part of a national movement to clean-up Canadian waterways. The Jewish community led by Teva Quebec, a grassroots independent Jewish environmental organization, along with many community partner organizations, worked to ensure a cleaner environment.
Teens and young adults receive a lesson from a Parks Canada representative prior to the clean-up.