The Brightest Star?
Lindsey Miller laments about Pesach in Spain in her recent article, “The Brightest Star.” While schooling in Sevilla, she was unable to find a Passover celebration amidst the overwhemingly Catholic city, and instead found herself ogling the magnificent display of Domingo de la Resurreccion—the local celebration of Easter. One of the things she noted about the people of Sevilla was that despite their Catholic affiliation and religious expression, far less than the majority actually believe in God. This was, of course, a point of disconnect for her.
Ms. Miller’s most profound observation and conclusion, however, was as follows:
“… Spain possesses a religious unity that the United States lacks. We do not have those unifying characteristics like a common hair color, face shape or type of cuisine. In Spain, everyone has the same thick, dark-haired look: not I…. Now, back in the U.S., I feel so at home in part because of the diversity—I’m able to blend in…. But it’s more than that. In Spain, religion is intricately interwoven with the Spanish way of life: there is no separation. Here, perhaps because we’re allowed the luxury of deciding how and to what extent we want to celebrate our religion, the opposite is true. We can separate it as much or as little as we want.”