Bar Hopping

Hanging out at bars is not my usual mode of social interaction, but this month I ended up going to two different bars for two very different reasons. In both cases I was invited, the first time via Facebook and the second, via an SMS (text message). That alone should be sufficient to know that I drove up the average age quite a bit in both settings, as the primary audience was their 20s and 30s. There were several other things in common about these experiences, including the fact that yes, I confess that I consumed what is probably my annual allotment of beer (2 glasses) and even did a couple of shots – arak in the first case, whiskey in the second.

According to my young adult informants, there are actually quite a few bars in downtown Jerusalem, far more than you might expect. Though centrally located, they are rather tucked away into little alleys and alcoves. The names of the bars seem to reinforce the idea that bar culture is hardly part of the mainstream in the Holy City. The first was called “Yankees Bar (in Hebrew letters) and the second Ha’Katzeh, which means the edge. Certainly bars are not on the edge in Tel Aviv or Haifa, where they are a much more visible part of the commercial fabric of the city.

Yankees Bar was the setting for the Young Adults Forum of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ) celebration of Purim, which began with a lively reading of the entire Book of Esther. I actually received the notice of this event from several sources but the one that assured me that it would be ok for a 50-something to go was from a real (not just Facebook) friend, whose daughter turned out to be one of the megillah readers. By the time the reading began, the place was packed. Most people came in some sort of costume and the audience and megillah readers seemed to be about three-quarters Israeli and the balance being American students. The emcee for the evening was an Israeli rabbinical student and it was clear that he was comfortable on the bimah (which means stage in modern Hebrew and in this setting it took on both sacred and secular connotations). He sported a kooky wig, played music and did a bit of Purim-related standup in between chapters. At the end of the reading, which was definitely not the end of the evening, he thanked everyone for coming and said: “We chose a bar over a synagogue for our celebration of Purim tonight because we wanted to bring Judaism into the public square.”

Now, you might think that Judaism is always in the public square in Israel and that is partly true. But, the type of Judaism that is most public, most mainstream, is not the type of Judaism that reflects who these young adults of the IMPJ are. Even though many of the organizers of this event were active members of the Reform Movement here, their Jewish activism is more likely to be expressed through social justice and educational work than through ritual practice. Situating a religious event in a public space was a political statement about religious pluralism, reinforcing the message that there is indeed more than one way to be a Jew as the motto of the IMPJ states. Since it’s actually a mitzvah to drink on Purim, a bar was definitely the right public setting for this statement. It drew a great crowd. Now, it will be fascinating to see whether different kinds of public spaces might become the setting for other holidays as well.

My second bar hop was a couple nights ago when one of my daughter’s friends sent me a text invitation to come hear the band of another one of their friends. Hannah happened to be in town for the night so this seemed like a fun thing to do as a kind of kick-off to the Pesach vacation. The band plays a combination of both original music and covers of country, folk, and bluegrass tunes. As Hannah told me, the band’s founder plays with almost an entirely different group when in Jerusalem as compared to Tel Aviv. The Jerusalem musicians all wore kippot in contrast to most of the Tel Aviv members of the band who do not. Most of the male members of the audience were sported kippot as well. All of the band members are American born (or raised) and the entire evening except for purchasing drinks, took place in English.

This evening didn’t have a purpose other than a fun social gathering for an extended circle of friends, American Israelis and American sojourners – students, young professionals, social activists, and even one soldier who is counting the days to his discharge (48) – most of whom had either Camp Ramah or Young Judea in their background. Virtually everyone knew each other and the atmosphere was almost like a gathering in someone’s (large and a bit funky) living room - a happy, warm, and friendly escape from work and routine. It almost could have been anywhere. Though again, there was something that made this a Jewish space and not just the number of kippot in the room. Some of these young adults like my daughter have lived in Israel for several years; some came as volunteers on one program or another and stayed, some came to study, others to work. Others are studying here for the year but this is certainly not their first extended stay. They were here on summer camp programs, Young Judea Year Course, undergraduate year abroad programs, study in yeshiva, and on and on. Many are activists and advocates for religious pluralism and social justice, and in fact may even show up at the same demonstrations and events as their IMPJ counterparts in the other bar. Israel is an integral part of who they are, whether they are religiously observant or not, whether they plan to remain here or not. And yet, as integral as Israel is, they need an utterly American outlet, a place to relax, be among their American friends, speak carefree English, share a bit of their home culture, and their music (even if none of them ever lived in a blue grass state). That too, is an integral part of who they are that they take with them too wherever they go.