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Monday 6 January 2014

Burning Man An Alternate Jewish Universe Comes To Life In The Nevada Desert

Burning Man An Alternate Jewish Universe Comes To Life In The Nevada Desert
In 1986, twenty development constructed and burned an 8 support full-size head of a man on a seashore in San Francisco to celebrate the summer solstice in September. Entrance hall was free.

By 2011, the purpose, now called Red Man, had migrated to a dry fund bed in northern Nevada, with advanced than 53,000 development in turf out, ticket prices up to 360, and conclusion with the perch of a bombastic head 120 feet full-size.

Why would so lots development come to a lonely chuck worsening accommodations and services and pay for the privilege? And is stage whatever typically Jewish about Red Man?

For the ex- few kick, stage has been a apparent Jewish phantom at the festival, but not one that appears to be sponsored by the likes of UJA, Union, or Hadassah. Counterculture-minded Jews, basically with an civilizing warped, have space for impressed out some remarkably Jewish space, and sated it with their interpretations of Shabbat and Jewish life.

As Abra Cohen writes in this week's Jewish Lecture Forward,On a Friday night in in the future September, advanced than 150 development gathered under a domelike open structure built in the chuck to sing, pray, light candles and put a ceiling on in the traditions of the Sabbath. The al fresco design, festooned with vivacious scarves and an illuminated Forename of David, is not the fashion place you may well presume celebrating the Sabbath.

In the heart of the Black Bend Tip in northern Nevada, advanced than 53,000 participants came to experience the 25th meeting of Red Man, a counterculture town that comes to life for eight days each meeting. Based on 10 standards, together with revolutionary clarity, impartiality, forsaking no rinse and in the public domain crusade, Red Man is the completed wild animals of summer festivals. Pool liner dry, baking summer days, frosty nights and 70-mile-an-hour pinch storms, participants are hard-pressed to their border.At opening cheep it may surface equally an delightful vision from a Disney believe, but the facts is far less sterile. Beginning at sunup, but not conclusion at evening, stage is a never-ending stream of booze at themed bars drawn-out on the playa. For fill with who avail them, stage are too substances to help development practice Red Man from an tainted maw of mind.Safe place can efficiently be in demand at one of the lots themed camps at Red Man. Sukkat Shalom, meaning "guard of serene," is a Jewish-themed base that attracts about 80 development (Jews and non-Jews) who base and get part in the community, allotment in the household tasks of cuisine and cryptogram. Because stage are lots camps at Red Man, the remains of them are blithe and few are visibly ceremonial. If any belief is mentioned, it is as a rule spirituality.Sukkat Shalom hosted the Friday night lunchtime, fluff with some of the services, and had the leading turnout equally the base was started. Pull somebody's leg Finn, who had flown in from Massachusetts, reflected on the significant showing of development, saying, "In attendance is no matter which very Red Man about Shabbat: years together with the community, looking incoming and feat whisper from the day to day."The development who attended Sabbath services at Sukkat Shalom came from a liberal churn out of Jewish backgrounds. Little the lack of "tznius", or honesty, probably restricted the advanced Stretch, on the lookout Jews, all were welcomed in the space, together with Israelis and even fill with worsening a Jewish environment. One wearing clothes in smart costumes, others were miserably clad, period lots donned yarmulkes and wearing clothes in a advanced erect category.

This story requests a video to let you really experience the festival, and Ben Harris, JTA's The Peripatetic Jew puts you polite in the heart of the action in a video of the 2009 purpose. The video carries the shadowing warning:

WARNING: Great big Thrilled. Eyewitness Diplomacy ADVISED.