The complexity of celebrating a very different Simchat Torah
We have made it this far because we've learned to cope with complexity rather than try and simplify it.
As Jews around the world marked this week Simchat Torah, a holy day for the Jewish people, typically celebrated with joy and dance but this year marred of course by an ongoing war and uncertainty, some found it difficult to celebrate at all.
But if there is something that Jews and Israelis do best is to acknowledge and appreciate complexity. In fact, we have survived and continue to thrive because of it. We cope with tragedy through humour, mourning and processing by telling jokes (sometimes good ones, sometimes not so much), not to silence or minimise our pain, but to create a balance and allow space for both sorrow and joy to coexist.
We are indigenous and yet dispersed all over the world.
We are a faith and a people.
We are able to smile while we hurt inside.
We are able to celebrate while many of us still cannot.
We understand the necessity of this war and we hate it.
Some of us somehow like gefilte fish, while most of us despise it.
We know contradictions, because we are defined by them. We have made it this far because we’ve learned to cope with complexity rather than try and simplify it.
And I don’t need to explain why this past year has been complicated for so many of us, to say the least.
But despite the hardships, I’ve seen a strong, resilient and passionate community. One that stepped up and not just redefined itself facing unprecedented challenges here in Australia, but also managed to mobilise to support an entire nation on the other side of the world. And that is remarkable.
Students who I work with at The Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) have constantly sought to be more active and vocal in their support for Israel, despite juggling between antisemitism, harassment and a hectic academic schedule on a daily basis.
Through fundraisers and events held on nearly every campus in Melbourne, in a joint effort with United With Israel Australia NZ, we raised in a single day earlier this month almost 20K dollars to support devastated communities in northern Israel.
And I think Israeli society will also continue to grow and become stronger by this tragedy. We already see a much healthier approach to mental health and more and more initiatives aimed at bringing our communities and tribes closer together.
As the new saying goes, we will dance again.
I may be an optimist, but I think that sometimes, even now, we are allowed to be optimistic. We are allowed to celebrate our small successes AND even the complexity that defines our beautiful world and unique people.
Moadim L’simcha.
This op-ed was rewritten from a speech given by the writer during Shemini Atzeret prayers and reflections at Caulfield Shule in Melbourne on the eve of Simchat Torah on October 24, 2024.
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