Spring Holidays in the Village

When Ramadan, Easter and Passover overlap, the result is a celebration of our common heritage and sharing our different religious practices with one another.

The NADI Youth Club hosted a family event in which Easter egg painting, an “afikomen search,” special food, music and dancing were featured. In the evening, after the Iftar meal was consumed together, the Jaffra dancers led the families through the village streets, inviting everyone to enjoy the spectacle.

Shahed Abu Hamed, a special education teacher who moved to the village from Ramle with her husband and her two children, said: “Ramadan in the village has a different flavor of community. Jews, Christians and Muslims celebrate together and the children are happy.”

The Pluralistic Spiritual Community Center hosted a Ramadan Iftar event. Visiting Swiss friends were guests of honor at the event. Village members brought food to share, and after the meal, they were treated to a musical, dance performance “Meeting with the Angels.” The ensemble, which combines Sufi tradition with modern composition, was led by composer/conductor Marwan Halabi and included a singer, two musicians and a dancer.

Halabi said the ensemble was thrilled to present the performance — which has been running for two years in various venues — in Wahat al-Salam/Neve Shalom. It was more intimate than the settings they are used to, and they felt their performance connect to the spirituality of the place. “We are used to performing before Arabic-speaking audiences, but even for those who did not understand the language, we managed to pass on the emotions, if not the exact words,” he said.