the rebbe

the rebbe

So I got to the Jewdas-do (which is, really, just a very, very funky jewdo, not that that's necessarily a bad thing) late. Went to another party, and dragged J there after twelve.

I loved how they'd done it. The crew - whoever they may be - had put a huge amount of effort into finding a place (multi-room warehouse type place), and dekcing it out. There were posters of the rebbe (right), a great poster of loads of different kinds of Jewish "icons" with the strapline "which one is a CST volunteer?" (my camphone pic didn't really get it), Sarah Lightman's artwork writ large, video installations, loads of really old JC ads, expressive dance, Palestinian rappers (which I was not at all convinced by but the crowd loved) and a random selection of people having a great time.

Of course I ran into a bunch of people I knew. And a bunch of people I didn't. I missed the Jewdas Beth Din, and a slew of other acts, but there were still loads of people in kinda-fancy-dress (I'm guessing), and just lots of people having a good time.

It became clear to me that this is what people want. It's the same people I see at duller, less-edgier parties. Like, the first conversation I overhead was "so I think I'll take the Berwin Leighton Paisner offer" (City law firm, Jewish edge - at a different party they might be saying Freshfields or Clifford Chance or whatever they're called now). It's the same people, having a better time.


It's a largely youngish, just-left-college crowd. I got chatted up by some bloke who was let's just say a lot younger than me. I was very flattered that he thought I was twenty two or something, but then it was dark(ish). Or maybe he just went for the elusive older-woman thing.


The Jewdas crew really know how to throw a party, and they do it with a deep core of Jewish knowledge, and it shows, big time. I had a conversation over lunch about Jewish culture and if it's enough, which I won't recreate here because I've had five hours sleep and I'm going to a wedding in a minute, but it's something to think about. But there was an overwhelmingly positive, out-there Jewish feel.

The whole thing, in fact, was New Jew writ large.