Machar celebrates many Jewish holidays as together as a congregation. We do so as Humanistic Jews, focused on the power and the responsibility of humans to act in the world and improve it. Each Jewish holiday has different themes and traditions that help us think about and commit to the work of tikkun olam, repairing the world. And each holiday and congregational celebration offers inspiration and community through songs, readings, teaching, play, and other programs.
Machar observes the High Holidays with services that invite our members and others in the broader Metro DC area to come together to learn about and draw inspiration from the timeless themes of these holidays: renewal, reconciliation, atonement, and self-improvement. The High Holidays are both joyous and serious, celebrating the possibilities of a new year and considering ways to make the new year better than the last. We do this in ways both modern and ancient: music, readings, poetry, blowing the shofar, and finding social time to spend together as a congregation.
Three fall holidays that come in quick succession, Machar focuses its celebrations on learning and our school students with outdoor gatherings for Sukkot complete with crafts, food, and music. We celebrate Simchat Torah (a second day of Shemini Atzeret) through learning sessions for all our members during our community Sundays that let them know that Machar’s Torah scroll is theirs as members of our congregation.
Machar celebrates Hanukkah both in-person through our annual Hanukkah party, and online through nightly candle-lighting videos for our families. Learning about the complex history of the Maccabees and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem allows us to reflect on what we can draw from such a difficult moment of Jewish history, one that mixes the desire for freedom with the desires of religious fundamentalists for control over Judaism at a time of liberalization not unlike our present.
Lots of people – especially kids – look forward to Purim each year. We celebrate Purim at Machar with a Purim party, because of course we do! We retell the Purim story, bringing to it our modern questions about history vs. fiction, power, history, gender, and what it means to have courage in the face of danger. But we still keep it fun, because Purim is always about joy, as well!
Machar has an annual community Passover Seder during which we retell the Passover story from a modern, Humanistic perspective. We value freedom and the hope for real freedom around the world, while acknowledging that almost nothing about the story of the Exodus from Egypt can be verified historically. What does it mean to find inspiration in story and myth? How has the story of the Exodus inspired others to seek freedom, and how might we continue to find inspiration in the story and in others? How can we understand the current state of Israel/Palestine politics in that search? We consider these questions as we gather and sing traditional and modern songs that inspire us to work for freedom for ourselves and others.
There are other holidays that we learn about and celebrate, including Tu Bi-Sh’vat (the new year for trees), Shavuot (the “feast of weeks”), and others. As with our holidays, we welcome you to join us in our celebrations!