5 Ways to Find Your People in Houston’s Jewish Young Adult Scene

Moving to a new city — or trying to deepen your roots in one — can feel overwhelming. And when it comes to finding your place in the Jewish community, it’s not always obvious where to begin.

If you’re a Jewish young adult in Houston, here are five real-deal ways to connect, belong, and build your tribe whether you're just settling in or have lived here your whole life.

1. Plug into Jewish Young Adult Events

Houston’s Jewish event scene for young adults is more active than you might think. From rooftop Shabbats to low-key learning groups to social mixers, there’s something for every vibe.
Check out events hosted by:

• Moishe House Houston
• Federation’s YAD (Young Adult Division)
• JEWston (via Houston Hillel)
• J-HYPE
• Chabad Young Professionals
• Heights Kibbutz
• ...and increasingly, local synagogues with young adult happenings.

Learn about many young adult community organizations. <Link to young adult orgs blog>

Want it all in one place? That’s what we do at Hey Houston! To get all the latest happenings around town, join the Hey Houston community. 

2. Start with Shabbat

If you’re not sure where to begin, Shabbat gatherings are a great anchor point. There are a ton of programs to choose from.

• (What are the regular Shabbat programs that happen around Houston?)

Want to host your own? Becoming a OneTable host makes it easy to track your guest list, get some funding, and create a meaningful Shabbat experience for you and your guests. 

Pro tip: You don’t need to be “religious” or a member to attend. Just show up, and see how it feels.

3. Attend a Holiday Event or Seasonal Gathering

Not every connection starts in a sanctuary or around challah. Some of the best Jewish young adult programs are seasonal.

• Yom Kippur break fast
• Sushi in the Sukkah
• Purim parties
• Hanukkah bar crawls
• Jewish learning groups over drinks
• Volunteering meetups for local causes

These happenings are often hosted by passionate community members or local organizations. Keep your eyes peeled (or, you know, join Hey Houston).

4. Don’t Wait to Be Invited

Houston is big, and the Jewish community is spread out. Sometimes the biggest challenge is not knowing what you don’t know. So here’s your green light: You don’t have to be “in” to start showing up.

Say hi at an event. DM a host or group. Bring a friend if you're shy. Everyone starts somewhere — and chances are, someone else in the room is showing up for the first time too.

5. Join Hey Houston to Find Out About Events

You don’t have to dig through Instagram, group chats, or a dozen different email lists to know what’s going on. That’s what Hey Houston is for! We round up the best Jewish events, programs, and pop-ups for our young(ish) Jews in one place.

Whether you’re looking for a Shabbat dinner, a cultural gathering, or a low-key hangout, we’ve got you covered. Create an account to see event details in our calendar and to receive a email newsletter in your inbox (without being spammy, of course). This city’s Jewish scene becomes so much more approachable when you know where to show up.

Ready to Find Your People?

Houston’s Jewish community is what you make of it. It’s more open, diverse, and vibrant than meets the eye. Whether you’re looking for friendships, rituals, meaning, your NJB or NJG, or just a good time with good people, your entry point is out there.

And if you’re tired of looking everywhere to find it? You’re in the right place. Hey Houston was built to help all young Jewish adults in Houston connect.

To get started, create a free account. Once you join Hey Houston, you can see all event details on our calendar, request to grab coffee with a plugged-in Ambassador, and even submit your own events to bring the Jewish community to you!