THE JOY OF SHABABA

by KARINA ZILBERMAN

I am not going to tell you what Shabbat is — you already know that. Instead, I am going to talk about joy.

Every week, I am blessed to be in the presence of children and their grownups while they are all celebrating Shabbat together. I have experienced for myself how fun can be transformed and elevated to the highest level — joy — when it happens in a meaningful context. As Martin Buber said, “The beating heart of the universe is holy joy.” (Quoted in Simplicity: The Art of Living by Richard Rohr, Crossroad, 1992)

So what makes joy holy?

Joy becomes holy when it is connected to a community, to a tradition and to our authentic selves. As Reb Nachman of Breslov said, “It’s a great mitzvah to be always happy.” (Likutey Moharan, Breslov Research Institute, 1995) True joy is a huge challenge, but when it is connected to a community, its power is endless.

When we started Shababa in 92Y’s lobby with just me, my puppets and my guitar on a Friday morning in October 2007, I wanted to bring Shabbat to the people and remove all the obstacles. I didn’t want families to have to look for me in the 92Y’s impressive catalogue or to sign up for a “Shabbat Kids” class, program or service. That would have already created an obstacle and a lot of conscious work for these very busy adults. Instead, I thought, “What if we invited adults and children alike to be part of a story — a Shabbat story where everybody is part of the narrative?”

That is the philosophy behind Shababa, a series of intergene-rational community gatherings throughout the week that provide a range of ways to connect to celebratory Jewish life and the Shababa community, including High Holiday and Shabbat experiences, holiday celebrations, singing groups, an annual benefit concert and tzedakah projects. I don’t believe in pediatric Judaism. Entertaining children in a Jewish setting is not an effective path to a joy which can bind children and adults to Jewish tradition. But experiencing a journey together — parents, children, grandparents, nannies, strangers-who-become-friends — that is how we participate in something larger than ourselves. That is the moment when transformation happens. It is the difference between a program and an experience. Shabbat is something to experience, not to assist.

This intergenerational, experiential, joy-driven approach to Jewish education and community has been recognized and celebrated by the Covenant Foundation and many Jewish Community Centers in North America, England, Israel, Germany and Russia. To bring this joyful, intergenerational approach to Jewish communities around the world, we are in the early stages of creating the Shababa Network, through which synagogues, community centers and day schools can access this methodology, adapt it for their own communities and share their experiences and learning with one another. Together, we hope to help more people make Shabbat a joyous intergenerational experience. ■

Karina Zilberman is Director of Jewish Family Life and Culture at the 92^nd Street Y in New York and the creator of the 92Y Shababa™ Community.