A Family Celebration

Last night I travelled up to North London for the bar mitzvah of my grand nephew. It’s a 24 hour celebration of festivities beginning with a Sabbath dinner last night, lunch and dinner today.

I was billeted at a hotel nearby. Orthodox Jews do not drive on the Sabbath so everyone present at the dinner would have walked there and back.

Men and women did not sit together and there was prayer and a sermon.

Right from the outset there was much singing.

Two young brothers, I guess in their teens, stood up and sang a song they had composed for the occasion.

My nephew rather sensitively called me beforehand to say he hoped I would find it an experience.

I told him at the end of the dinner that I felt a warm feeling as this was my family.

There was good humoured banter as my godson’s mother is a RE teacher and very knowledgeable on the world’s religions.

She knows my niece and said that there was no point in asking me about Jewish ritual and practice, but could she ask her?

We agreed that it would be fun to attend a Friday night meal at her home.

There were 4 things I especially liked about the dinner.

Firstly, it began at 5-30pm and was finished by 8.00pm. I dislike late dining and was pleased to be back home by 9.00 pm.

Secondly, there was mix of the very young – several babies were present – and the very old, one lady was in her nineties.

Thirdly, as photography was not allowed there was none taken and we were spared the inevitable Facebook publication.

Fourthly, there was a brio, a joy of celebration that permeated the evening. On a deeper level I thought of Fiddler on the Roof and the final scene where the populace are forced to leave. They could all turn up somewhere in the world for such a dinner and participate.

It’s this tradition, portable and durable, that has resulted in Jewish people settling successfully and prospering all over the world.