September 30, 2009

Hinenu - Here we are

Hinenu

Long hours of traveling by bus, train or airplane brought us all to Sweden. A month ago we unpacked our luggage filled with expectations, ideas, goals and questions.

Ayekah? Where are you?
How will this Scandinavian society receive us? How will we react to a new Jewish study environment and vision? How will our teachers relate to us? Will we be understood by a new group of people from truly different cultures?

We started the program and little by little we are finding the answers that can only emerge through experience. Over cups of coffee and tea, classes, chevrutot, movies, conferences, dinners, walks, meetings and discussions, we began to settle.
And then Glämsta arrived: an entire weekend in the natural setting of the Stockholm archipelago to fully acknowledge ourselves in this journey.

We cooked and enjoyed Israeli shakshuka, Lithuanian soup, and Italian pasta. We prayed, sang, read poems and stretched our minds and bodies together. We played children’s games, conquered the ping- pong table, danced to classic Abba songs and sang Happy Birthday in more than 10 languages. We debated the concept of Shabbat and Melachah from a particular philosophical approach. We listened to each fellow’s project proposal grasping in one hour the very idea of diversity.
By the end of the weekend, we were better situated to try to complete the answer given in the Torah to the essential question of where we are.

Hineni. Here I am.
Hinenu, here we are living in Sweden, discovering some of its many waters, discussing its ways and hoping to grasp some of the good wisdom of its society.

Hinenu, here we are immersed in Jewish culture, praising the interesting and surprising viewpoints and challenging every uncomfortable finding.

Hinenu, here we are, letting ourselves be inspired by the passion of our professors and being part of a millennial tradition of both embracing and questioning Jewish teachings.

Hinenu, here we are, each of us trying to be true to his and her own perspective and at the same time striving to strengthen this small and tight community of particular young people curious to understand and create Jewish culture.

Romina Reisin, Walter Benjamin Fellow 2009-2010