It's a Small World

Newsletter January 6, 2024 Together, we're #keepingitsacred...

“Wherever you go, there’s always something Jewish,” goes the famous song by Rabbi Larry Milder. And, I’ll tell you, when my family and I travelled from Los Angeles to Manila, cities 7,300 miles apart, it was such a joy to meet up with Jewish folks in the Philippines.

There’s a beautiful center in the capital city in a part of town called Makati. The building is two-stories of familiarity- from the administrative offices, sanctuary, and early childhood center. The ark was adorned with the Ten Commandments in Hebrew and the prayerbooks featured the prayers we say at Keeping It Sacred every time we gather. Plus, the new Orthodox Rabbi Refael Mimran and Rabbanit Mor Mimran from Netanya, Israel, welcomed us warmly.

A local historian, Lee Blumenthal, and his daughter shared the rich history of the Jewish community in the Philippines— it included cars, cigars, airlines and building community. (I hope to invite Lee to share this history with our community in the coming months— stay tuned!). We even held a menorah gifted to the synagogue by former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. It certainly felt like wherever we went, there’s always someone Jewish. The Jewish tribe extends far and wide and is always centered on a warm glow of connection.

But, have you ever wondered what it would be like to be one of the only Jews on an island?

After a couple of days in Manila, Melissa and the kids and I flew to an island of 2.6 million Filipinos, and I am convinced we were the only Jews on the island. I believe this because when we asked the 50+ members of Melissa’s family if anyone had ever known a Jewish person at all, they all said they hadn’t known anyone on the island. 

We spent a week and a half there, including the first nights of Hanukkah, and it was such an interesting feeling. It wasn’t exactly loneliness even though we were the only Jews on the island. There was a sense that even though we were disconnected physically, we were still every bit as much connected mentally and spiritually.

We still felt connection because we were able to connect with the global online Keeping It Sacred community for Healing Circle and Talmud Study while we were there and engage in our Jewish online community. And we felt connected due to the fact that studying sacred texts connects us back into a conversation of questions and earnest answers by our people across time and space that connects us in.

Studying in that space gave me a sense of connection with the larger whole of Jewish life. And reciting the Hanukkah prayers with Melissa and our kids gave me a sense that Jewish prayer life was wholly portable and could spread joy everywhere it was observed. 

My two weeks in the Philippines reminded me of what many of you in our Keeping It Sacred community experience all the time: a sense of pride in the participation in Jewish life anywhere and everywhere. And in each place, enjoying the light of Torah, the light of our tradition. And the light of community not limited by time or geography at all. Especially when we all gather to make it so.

Sanctifying spaces wherever we go, that’s how we’re keeping it sacred… 

Together, we’re #keepingitsacred...

Rabbi Heather Miller

Founder, Keeping It Sacred

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The above is an excerpt from a Keeping It Sacred newsletter. If you want to read the entire newsletter or any from our archives, please head over to: keepingitsacred.com/news 

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Thanks for your interest, and thanks for #keepingitsacred...