The Sylvester dilemma for the Israeli Jew

The Sylvester dilemma for the Israeli Jew

By David Verveer

I know I hear you say it, what a bloody nonsense; doesn’t he have other problems than discussing the Sylvester celebration? Indeed, I agree, my problem is less critical done guessing which person will make it the person of the year, and will get her or his picture on the cover of the Time magazine. I know you could not care that lost people, like myself, sit on new years eve, and stare at the television, seeing other people jumping around, shouting HAPPY NEW YEAR. My wife went to sleep around 10 o’clock, our television did not have a special new year program, as this celebration is not considered kosher, and we Israelis don’t do like the gentiles, we don’t celebrate the birthday of this unknown saint Sylvester figure, who was so lucky to die precisely between old and new. But some gentile friends tell me that Sylvester is only an excuse for celebration, the reason is an heathen pre Christian celebration in honor of mother earth, who managed to do what it does best, for another year.

But, we Jews are not allowed to celebrate the Gentile holydays, and somebody who has a real wonderful party, acts against all principles of Judaism, his actions deny the suffering of he Jewish people, throughout the ages, if you are really a Jew you should evade all this nonsense of celebration at the same time and because the same reasons as your neighbors.

I love to see the fireworks which start on 12 o’clock, mid night, after the count down, I remember when living in England, I visited on New Years eve, a local pub, and at mid night, people (strangers) stood in a circle and sang an old English song called “All acquaintances been forgotten” and hugged everyone in the pub, and even though, it was a heather celebration, I thoroughly enjoyed it and understood it, it was not religious, not patriotic and simply humanistic.

As children, living in the after the war period in Holland, my mother always invited our surviving cousins, to celebrate together with us the new years celebration. We at special food (such as huzaren sla, I have no idea how that is named in English, olie bollen (I think donuts) and appel flappen (donuts with slices of apple inside).
It was one of the most loved celebrations of the year, and has a special place in my memory bank. At mid night we would open the windows to look at the commotion outside, with the burning of Christmas trees, fireworks and people dancing in the street, until the police and fire brigade came to extinguish the burning asphalt, stop the fights of the street gangs who had gathered and stolen the entire week between Christmas and new year, trees from the neighboring gangs, fraught gang wars, and made terrible noises, my brother once participated in such a gang warfare, but received after five minutes of participation a blow on the head, and decided that this is really not a war for Jewish boys, returned home, in order never to try it again.

And now, I sit alone, look at the TV, see people shout and dance in far away countries, wait until midnight, listen to the news, hear about a missile attack in the south, no damage and nobody was hurt, and go to bed, with an empty feeling of the lost excitement of Sylvester celebration, why do we not enjoy simple enjoyments, why is it wrong to be happy together with the gentiles, why do we have to carry the Burdon of the religious Jews, life is short, let us have fun, and I know, it is not done, but I wish you a very happy, healthy new year 2010.