NOTE: A lot of these experiences are based on my own life. Obviously not all of this applies to every Jewish family, but my aunt was a southern belle from Nashville somewhat similar to Donna Smoak who married into a reform Jewish family, and my cousins had childhoods identical to my own (seriously identical— we went to day care and camp and hebrew school together and run in the same friend groups. Even in a city.) Basically, this drabble is Jew-certified. Pretty much, Felicity is one of my favorite TV characters, and her being from my religion is awesome, and I'd love to see even more exploration of that.
Terms and definitions at the bottom.
After her father had left, Felicity had thought her family's religious celebrations would too. But even in the wake of grief and betrayal, her mother was determined to give her daughter a good and full childhood, and humble enough to continue the traditions Felicity's father had started. In fact, it was Donna Smoak, not her now ex-husband. who insisted (when Felicity was still in her womb) that Felicity be raised Jewish. Donna's own upbringing wasn't overly religious, and the history, culture and traditions of Judaism were exactly what she wanted her child to have.
So Felicity was raised in a Reform Jewish household. Once on her own, she didn't go to temple every weekend, and didn't keep kosher, and only celebrated the weekly Sabbath 5-10 times a year. But growing up she had a baby naming led by Las Vegas's own Rabbi Goldstein, and before she started preschool, Felicity went to a jewish day care, and every Friday brought home Challah bread, bouncy brunette curls and big blue eyes, her father laughing and calling Felicity the real 'breadwinner' of the family, which she never understood but would nod enthusiastically and repeat to her mother, if only to get her father to bellow even louder.
And after he left, her mother insisted she continue going to hebrew school, and become a bat mitzvah, even though that meant putting more hours into work. The whole ordeal felt terribly awkward; the twelve and thirteen year olds she went to hebrew school with, her mother's friends, old Ms. Norris who'd babysit her when her mother worked late, a handful of former and current teachers, some of her high schools peers (which really meant guys who showed up to see her mother's hardly hidden curves, and their possessive girlfriends), and her mother all watched as she quickly babbled her way through the hebrew, wavy hair tamed straight with a flat iron and braces and glasses and a pink party dress that made her mother cry tears of joy the first time Felicity put it on.
In college, religion was a passing thought. She was years younger than her classmates (the reality of her academic experience since she jumped to third grade at age six), so most of her energy went into proving herself through her studies. And when she was seventeen, and met Cooper who introduced her to the world of hacking for a cause, thoughts of braided bread or lighting candles all but vanished. She found another purpose, another cause. When he 'died', she tossed soil on his grave and went to synagogue for the first time since she was sixteen.
Living in Starling, she picked up a few of her old customs. She went to temple on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, joining Mrs. Rosenthal and her husband and their family for dinner. She had felt uncomfortable her first year there, even if she helped the Rosenthals almost daily, with carrying groceries and mail to their townhouse next to hers, but that faded quickly, as they had made it clear she was a beloved addition to their family, with having their 40 year old widowed son and no daughters. Andrew's two children, Eleanor and Jacob, both adored her, the now-eight year old boy eager to have someone to talk about computers and Doctor who, his elder sister of three years looking up to Felicity as an older sister/aunt/somewhat maternal figure. Mrs. Rosenthal, despite a mutual lack of interest and chemistry, constantly tried to set her son up with Felicity, an act that stopped the first time Oliver came over, Big Belly Burger in hand. (Thus began the older woman's plot to set up her surrogate daughter/granddaughter with her 'ruggedly handsome macher'.)
Joining Team Arrow didn't change her personal life much in this respect. Actually, when Roy found out that she was Jewish, after he handed her half of his BLT and Oliver snatched it away, saying she was Jewish (and Felicity subsequently snatching the sandwich back, thanking him for his concern, but that she hadn't kept kosher since she was fifteen and going through a 'phase'), it was discovered that Roy had never really known many Jewish people, so the next night she set up the candles, made dinner and picked up Challah, and had her first Shabbat with her three boys: the best friend, the brother, and the— Oliver.
That year, she spent Hanukkah with Ray. As if he couldn't get more perfect, (despite the aching feeling of something missing, which she would always suppress,) he was half-Jewish, and knew how to make latkes without needing to call the fire department. Twice.
And months later, after Oliver's supposed death and return, the whole Ras Al Ghul and Nanda Parbat ordeal, Laurel becoming the Black Canary, Ray becoming the ATOM, and their subsequent breakup, because even if he was terminally unavailable, Oliver was it for Felicity— and miraculously he came to the conclusion that they could be together, so they did, and were, and are happy— Felicity looked around Thea and Oliver's round table, where they let her host a group Passover, as her town house's table could hold at most four. And she saw her mother gleaming at an equally enthralled Captain Lance, Laurel and Nyssa laughing, Ted and Roy amicably talking, the Diggles smiling as Thea bounced little Sara up and down, and Oliver, who looked at her with such unconditional love and adoration it still took her breath away, his hand woven through hers; Felicity saw her family, an unconventional and messed up group of misfits, and she had never been happier.
VOCABULARY:
*Challah— a braided bread eaten on Shabbat (fantastic for french toast)
*Shabbat— the weekly Sabbath
*Reform Judaism— out of the three 'levels' of Judaism. Reform is the most relaxed one.
*Bat Mitzvah— coming of age celebration for Jewish youth (bat is for girls) at thirteen. You go to hebrew school after school and on weekends for years to learn hebrew, the prayers, and a section of the Torah (old testament), and deliver a speech about it. They're pretty big deals, followed by parties.
*Rabbi— Jewish religious leader, Jewish version of a pastor or priest or preacher or something.
*High Holidays— Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the holiest days of the year for Jews. You miss school/work, go to synagogue (temple) and then have a family meal. For big holidays, a lot of times friends or young people new to town with no family get invited to these meals, as well as Passover.
*Passover— Jewish holiday celebrating the story of Exodus.
*macher— important man, big fish in a small pond, big businessman, etc.
*Hanukkah— Jewish holiday celebrating the Macabees victory over the Romans, around Christmastime
*latkes— potato pancakes made in oil for Hanukkah.