Oh The Places You’ll Go!

Every year September is the busiest month: starting classes, new activities, and of course the High Holidays. This year was no different, except I was experiencing it all in Seville, Spain! I reached out to Beit Rambam (the progressive Jewish organization) to attend High Holiday services, and afterwards stayed for dinner, which was really worthwhile; I got to know other JewishAmerican students as well as some locals, and the dinner itself was delicious. Interestingly, the Jews of Seville have a Rosh Hashanah version of the seder plate with symbolic foods apples and honey of course, but also dates, pumpkin, pomegranate seeds, spinach, and beans. We don't do that at my home, but I liked the idea. The kids present read the brachot over each food I love seeing little kids growing up in a Jewish environment, especially in a community as small as this one. Sometimes I wonder how people can live in a community with so few resources, but then I remember I've been asked that same question coming from Olympia, WA. Growing up in a place where few people share your beliefs or traditions is of course challenging, but can also strengthen a person's connection with those traditions, because they really have to take it upon themselves to continue them. A particularly nice touch to the dinner was we took out little cards where we wrote our wishes and goals for the coming year. For all us foreign students they're going to mail our cards to us in the states next Rosh Hashanah. For Yom Kippur I again went to Beit Rambam. The service was similar but different than what I’m used to at home. Although Judaism is a uniting factor here, it feels disorienting when the traditions and tunes aren’t the same. I was actually surprised by how grateful I was each time we came to something familiar, like Lecha Dodi. This Yom Kippur was very different from all my others it’s the first time I can remember that I didn’t go to services during the day. Instead, I had a mandatory trip to Córdoba. Although I wasn’t pleased to have this trip scheduled on a High Holiday, I decided to go because I didn’t want to miss visiting the ancient synagogue in Córdoba, and because Beit Rambam didn’t have morning services anyways. I also decided to fast. Even though the day didn’t have the same atmosphere of gravity that it usually does, I felt that fasting at least helped to continuously remind me that it wasn’t just a regular day of the week. For me it’s also particularly significant to fast in Spain even if I can’t participate in Yom Kippur as fully as I usually do because for so long this was a place where Jews could not freely be Jewish and had to put together alternative ways to observe Judaism in a manner that was meaningful for them. Although that part of Spanish history is over, sadly there are still vestiges of it yes Jews are free to be Jewish, but the community is so small that it’s not always easy. The situation is always changing, and this is just another moment in the history of adaptation that is so central to Jewish continuity. For centuries before the Spanish inquisition Jews, Muslims and Christians coexisted fairly peacefully and all contributed to the culture and formation of the country. Several of my classes this semester focus on that time period, and it’s so interesting to learn about Jewish involvement in Spanish history while simultaneously experiencing how Jewish life has adapted here to become what it is today. So far my experience has been, in some ways familiar, and in others quite distinct from home. One thing that feels the same is the warmth of the community, despite its size. Since the High Holidays I have gotten the chance to help lead Kabbalat Shabbat, attend holiday events, and even found an internship with someone I met at services. I feel fortunate to live in a place and time where I can easily be Jewish, and lucky that even when I travel to acompletely different environment, I can still find such a welcoming group of people and an opportunity to connect to Judaism. Although I'll be leaving at the end of this semester, I love knowing that there is a community here for anyone who wants to be involved, and I hope I'll have the chance to return.