The festival of lights (or the modern Jew)

Last night I celebrated the first night of Channukah, the Jewish festival of lights. Channukah is not really a religious festival, it is a celebration of the victory of light over darkness, and a reminder of the history of the Jewish people.

I went to a really cool Channukah party in Tel Aviv organised by a group of arty Israelis at "the hub." I met people who are involved in all sorts of peace initiatives, actors, artists and journalists. And there we were all celebrating Channukah!

We sang Channukah songs, heard a few Channukah stories, and ate lots of food fried in oil (which ain't so good for the hips, but at least reminded me of the oil that miraculously lasted for eight days when it should have only lasted for one).

I am not a religious Jew. I found my connection to G-d outside of Judaism. And whilst I do not reject the religious aspects of the Jewish people, I feel there is so much more to us that is often hidden in the shadow of the religion. Last night's Channukah party was a celebration of Jewish identity rather than the religion. And I loved it! It is one of the reasons why I also love the festival of Pesach so much. Pesach is essentially a reminder of the injustice of slavery, and a celebration of freedom (although it does have a religious aspect to it as well).

Most of the "jewish" stuff I do here is with my religious friends. I enjoy it but it doesn't feel like me. Even when I celebrate religious Jewish festivals with my atheist family in Australia, again, I love it, but it feels like I am being transported back to the shtetl in Lithuania where my great grandparents came from. It is more about tradition than an expression of my Jewish identity today.

Last night was something different. And I only realised it today: one of the amazing things about Israel is that it has created a space for a more modern expression of what it means to be Jewish. And it was wonderful to be a part of that.

19 days to go...