Ramadan, Partying, and Peaceful Co-Existence

On Tuesday night, our family ventured out along the shore toward Jaffa for dinner.  For some reason unknown to us at the time, the traffic in Tel Aviv at 7:15pm was as bad as any gridlocked NYC Time Square evening.  Our taxi driver took us away from the sea, circled around some of the downtown buildings, and left us off across the busy street, telling us it would be quicker for us to cross to the other side and walk 5 minutes through a parking lot to our restaurant.

As we ventured through the parking lot and along the sidewalk, the beach was filled with revellers, partying, and impromptu barbeque pits everywhere.  Small children were running half-naked along the sand, chased by women in burkas while the men cooked and kneeled on the ground praying.  Yet somehow, amidst all the chaos and the strewn-about cups and cans, there was an acceptance that all was as-expected, nothing out of the ordinary.

What we later found out was that Tuesday night was Eid el-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan (the 30-day month of Muslim Fasting).  A two-to-three day festival was beginning, marked by wild celebrations in the street, cooking of lamb, and camping out.  What struck me the most was that in Tel Aviv, the Muslim community could celebrate alongside the Israeli community, without incident and without issue. 

Peaceful co-existence between Islam and Judaism in the heart of Tel Aviv - what is the world coming to?!?!

-- Mark Putter