Global Shabbat connects teens

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This article was published 29/12/2018 (2796 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Teenagers typically look forward to Saturday nights as an opportunity to go out on the town and get together with friends. In January, a group of about 100 Jewish Winnipeg teens will be doing just that, but they will be adding a few ancient rituals to their night.

The teenagers will be participating in the annual B’nai B’rith Youth Organization Global Shabbat, and the rituals they will be observing will be part of the Havdalah service.

“Global Shabbat was created as an opportunity for Jewish teens around the world to celebrate Judaism’s most holy tradition together, engaging in meaningful local Shabbat celebrations while connecting with the global Jewish community,” says Rae Williams, a senior director with the organization.

It is an international youth movement that encourages Jewish teens to find meaning and purpose in Jewish culture, faith, history and values. It has been active in Winnipeg for decades. The Global Shabbat, or Sabbath, is one of many faith-based programs that the organization sponsors throughout the year.

Havdalah is a special service that takes place on Saturday night at the end of the Sabbath. The service formally marks the end of the day of rest and heralds the beginning of a new week. Derived from the Hebrew word for separation, Havdalah discerns between the holiness and uniqueness of the Sabbath and the mediocrity of the rest of the week.

The service is a multi-sensory event that includes the recitation of prayers and blessings over wine, spices and a special braided candle.

The lighting of this candle fits perfectly with this year’s Global Shabbat theme of Let There Be Light. Borrowed from Genesis 1:3, the theme of light is central to Judaism, as well as many other faiths, and can be interpreted and applied in numerous ways.

Light, as opposed to darkness, is always relevant this time of year, when days are short and nights are long and the holiday of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, has just taken place. But the theme is especially relevant now, considering the political upheaval and pervasiveness of overt anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia in recent months.

“The programmatic focus on ‘shining light’ on hate and or other local issues is important to the Jewish teen experience,” Williams says. “The theme reminds us to embrace all members of our community, our peoplehood and our world with the hope of recognizing that in the end, we are far more similar than we are different.”

“This timely theme,” she adds, “draws inspiration from the quote by the celebrated Jewish author, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, who wrote, ‘Even in darkness, it is possible to create light.’”

That is exactly what the members of the organization’s local chapters will be doing when they get together for Havdalah on a cold Saturday night in the middle of a Winnipeg winter.

In the process of creating light, they also will connect with an age-old tradition and with thousands of other Jewish teens around the world.

“(It) is a place where Jewish teens can experiment with their Judaism and their identity and feel comfortable doing so,” regional director Noa Farage says. “But at the same time,” she adds, “the sense of community and tradition and togetherness is very real and very strong.”

Sharon Chisvin is a Winnipeg writer.

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