At last week’s football game hosted in London’s Wembley Stadium, England, in a surprise twist, beat Spain, something that has not occurred for the last fifteen years.
Rarely does the underdog defeat the standing champion, but when that happens, there is a moment of magic felt by all those in attendance.
Alex, an avid England fan, tried to explain how momentous the feeling was and was only able to compare it to ‘Party Like a Jew’, an annual three-day event that he attended over last weekend in Brussels.
More than 500 young Jews attended the event organized by the European Center for Jewish Students (ECJS) in partnership with the European Jewish Union (EJU), with the Saturday night ball attracting 1,000 attendees from 32 countries around Europe.
As a Jew living in a small town in Ukraine Alex is often asked why support England? “To me it is an obvious choice”, he says. "Growing up in Ukraine I have always felt a strong Jewish pride, despite the difficulties that we face with the rise of assimilation and anti-Semitism that have been plaguing Europe."
He continues, "England in this past match showed the world, what I always knew. That they have something to be proud of and so do I. When I walked down the stairs to join the singing and dancing in the foyer at the conclusion of Shabbat for the havdallah service, I took a moment to look around to watch the faces of the new friends that I have made. There was the same expression in everyone’s eyes– a feeling of pride, camaraderie, friendship and unity."
"Instilling Jewish pride is precisely one of our main objectives," says ECJS Executive Director Rabbi Zevi Ives. "Many students and young professionals throughout Europe feel disconnected from one another in their day-to-day lives. The weekend events that we host re-energize our participants, who return to their hometowns with a deeper sense of pride."
The weekend started at the famous Delirium Bar in Brussels where participants were given a tasting and explanation of three select Belgian Beers.
Shabbat was ushered in with hundreds of participants singing, eating and mingling. During the dinner, spontaneous dancing broke out as hundreds of singing voices reached a crescendo.
Rabbi Levi Garelik, scholar in residence for Shabbat, addressed the crowd with many issues including the power of the individual, Jewish identity, and discrepancies between science and Torah.
As always, havdallah was a highlight for many as arms were linked in unity as the blessings to conclude Shabbat were sung in a melodious tune.
The Saturday evening annual ball run by the Belgian Union of Jewish Students (UEJB), had a masquerade theme where participants dressed in beautifully-designed masks and partied the night away.
Touring included the two major cities of Belgium, Brussels and Antwerp with an emphasis on Jewish life, history and influence in both cities.
"I left the event highly motivated to study more about Judaism," says Elan Shmuilovich from Lithuania. "If not for ECJS I would not have been able to connect to Judaism as strong as I did it in Brussels. I felt a part of the united worldwide Jewish community."
For many, this was their first ECJS event. For some, it was their first Jewish event of this scale.
One participant remarked that he had such a good time that he would like to change his New Year’s plans to join ECJS and EJU for their big event in Athens.
Friendship and camaraderie should not be taken for granted, especially in Europe where the Jewish population has fallen to an alarming low.
In order to fight this phenomenon, the European Jewish Union (EJU) and the Brussels-based European Center for Jewish Students (ECJS) -- Europe’s largest Jewish student organization serving thousands of young adults from dozens of countries – have forged a strategic partnership to actively promote and strengthen Jewish life in Europe through emphasis on education, social programs, and cultural activities.
This partnership unites ECJS’ large experience with students and young professionals from around Europe and its event-planning expertise together with EJU’s unparalleled educational, social and cultural programming for a greater impact on the next generation of Jewish activists.