The demand heard from some of the immigrants from the former Soviet Union to recognize 'Novi God' as a legitimate holiday of this immigration is a symptom of a broader problem, which itself is a symptom of a broader and more fundamental problem.
First of all, one should not be confused by arguments that mix gender with non-gender. Some try to fool themselves and compare Mimouna, the holiday of immigrants from the Maghreb countries, and Saharna, the holiday of immigrants from Kurdistan, to 'Novi Gud', which is supposedly the holiday of immigrants from the Commonwealth of Nations.
This claim is nothing but demagogy.
Because Mimouna and Saharna are Jewish holidays, celebrated by the Jewish communities in these countries, and not by the Gentiles. Such holidays should certainly be preserved even with the immigration to Israel, as part of the glorious tradition that was cultivated in the Jewish communities in the Diaspora.
In contrast, Novy God is a holiday for non-Jews in the Soviet Union, and has nothing to do with Judaism or the Jewish people.
Seventy years of separation
The supporters of Novyi Gud are also misleading when they say that it is a national holiday that is disconnected from Christian symbols. This is not accurate. Indeed, the communist regime acted against all religions, and tried to obscure even the Christian symbols of this holiday, and yet, there are more than enough similarities between the Orthodox holiday and Novyi Gud. Either way, it is not a holiday that has any connection to us, the Jews.
If there is a connection, it is in the opposite direction. This is a day that Jews throughout the ages have known to be on guard against falling into the hands of drunken revelers. Throughout history, there have been more than enough cases where harming Jews was part of the Gentile New Year's celebrations.
That's why it's very jarring to see Jews celebrating holidays that are so foreign to us.
But as mentioned, this phenomenon is a symptom of our failure to absorb the immigration from the Soviet Union. Although materially, these immigrants were well absorbed. Being an educated immigration, they also brought great blessings in the development of industry, medicine, and the economy. But in terms of spiritual-value absorption – we did not know how to absorb them properly.
These Jews were forcibly separated from their Jewishness by the communist regime. They were denied Jewish education and connection to Jewish life. Even basic Jewish necessities such as tefillin, mezuzahs, and prayer books were difficult to obtain during the seventy years of evil rule.
Now that they have finally immigrated to the land, we should have connected them to the heritage that was stolen from them. But unfortunately, we did not do so to the extent that was appropriate.
Where is my home?
The 'Novi God' celebrations are a symptom of this failure. Those immigrants who have not connected to their Judaism still feel connected to the foreign culture, which has robbed them of their identity. And we must remember that there is also a significant proportion of non-Jews among them, and it is only natural that they continue to celebrate their holidays.
But this too is a symptom of the broader and more fundamental problem – the loss of Jewish identity. This is not clear to large parts of the Israeli public, and there are factors working to reduce Jewish identity in favor of a universal liberal culture.
When a person doesn't know where his home is, is it any wonder he knocks on the doors of strangers' houses?.
Join the Haredim 10 Facebook page >>
Join the X page of Haredim 10 >>
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
