CHAG SAMEACH!
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Matan Naamani
Sep 4, 2013, 11:44:36 PM9/4/13
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Chag Sameach everyone!
Chaggim have always carried a special charm and meaning to me. So much of how I identify with and relate to Judaism comes from the (varyingly) shared memory and experience that, in my mind, make Judaism the living and breathing group that it is today. There are so many things that make chaggim important and powerful to me and that make our work of creating a living Judaism so meaningful. But going into these chaggim, with and without you all, makes one centrally important: the fact that around the world Jews and members of this garin are sitting down, with their own traditions and interpretations, some ancient and some modern to recognize a special time of reflection and meaning.
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Chaggim have always carried a special charm and meaning to me. So much of how I identify with and relate to Judaism comes from the (varyingly) shared memory and experience that, in my mind, make Judaism the living and breathing group that it is today. There are so many things that make chaggim important and powerful to me and that make our work of creating a living Judaism so meaningful. But going into these chaggim, with and without you all, makes one centrally important: the fact that around the world Jews and members of this garin are sitting down, with their own traditions and interpretations, some ancient and some modern to recognize a special time of reflection and meaning.
Today in one of my classes we were trying to define what makes a community distinct from an arbitrary group. One thing that came up was the idea of a "collective consciousness" and what this might entail. This to me resonates deeply with what it means to be Jewish: it means sharing a certain consciousness, memory, experience, hopes and fears with people all around the world. But this year the people whose marking of these chaggim, the people whose memories, experiences, hopes and fears that are most relevant are all of yours!
This year will deffinitly be a new experience full of new challenges for this community- on collective, interpersonal, and individual levels. These challenges will probably be exciting, juxtaposing and competing, fun and miserable, and hopefully empowering. I hope that we will navigate them in the way that is best for us as individuals and as a community and am excited to see how they turn out. For the first time, the Rosh Hashanah actually marks the beginning of (nonacademic) new year for me and for all of us!
As a group we are now spread across the world so I guess I just wanted to say that as I think about the collective consciousness of Jews around the world during the chaggim I will be thinking especially of all of you and will be especially interested in all of your experiences, hopes, and fears.
Love,
Matan
Matan Naamani
University of Michigan School of Public Health 2014
Health Behavior and Health Education
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