My Chanukah meditation retreat

The title resonates with me because I’ve felt like that stranger. I’ve been practising meditation for more than 20 years, and the novelty and delight of finding Jewish people to share it with has still not worn off. I remember lighting the Chanukah candles alone in a silent Buddhist centre — although after the silence broke, two people I’d been eyeing up and thinking “you’ve got to be Jewish” told me it meant a lot to see my candles.

I’ve always felt a bit shifty about my practice in a Jewish environment, I’ve tended to shuffle my feet, mutter “meditation” and hope nobody heard. When I started doing it, my mum thought I was joining a weird cult and was worried for me. But nowadays, things are changing — yesterday I received an email telling me that Chabad is introducing mindfulness — Chabad, noch! I’ve trained as a mindfulness teacher with the NHS, I assist teaching at HaMakom and from January, I’ll be teaching at a shul. I’m out and proud.

Rabbi Danny says that the Chanukah retreat will help us to respond to events in healthy, wise, compassionate ways, rather than in our habitual patterns. Well, most of our habitual patterns. Because hopefully there will be lots of latkes.

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