Thursday night I headed out for the Gay Gypsy Bar Mitzva for the Disabled ’12, where I joined my fellow Doctor Who fans. Organized by Galia Bahat, the event took place at Eshkol Hapayis, on Novemeber 22nd 2012, the night before Doctor Who’s 49th anniversary.
In answer to why she decided to organize the event, Galia said that she wanted to put a lot of Doctor Who fans in a room and see them talk. And I have to say, the result was great to see. People of all ages – the youngest I saw were 13 year old twins, who had come from Modiyin – came together in celebration of something they loved.
Of everything I saw at the meeting, Keren Landsman’s lecture was my favorite part. She is an engaging speaker, who dealt with a talkative audience quite gracefully. Her thesis was that while the Doctor’s companions change, grow and mature, the Doctor is a never changing constant, the lonesome wanderer, traveling through space and time. While talking to her later, she said that as an audience we don’t want the Doctor to change, he is Doctor Who. I would like to propose something a little different – the TARDIS is the show, it is what we never want to change. Sure, it changes its internal design, but that little blue box always will be a little blue box, bigger on the inside. Every fan has their Doctor, the one they wish had come earlier, or stayed on instead of another one, that companion they have always hated or loved, but everyone loves the TARDIS.
From looking around at the convention I would say that I am not alone in that opinion. Sure, there were some cool costumes and accessories including a female Captain Jack Harckness, a River Song, more than one Doctor, a few fezzes and several sonic screwdrivers, but what I saw more than anything was TARDIS blue. From shirts, dresses and hats to nail polish, homemade necklaces and earrings, TARDIS blue was everywhere. The TARDIS is so iconic that you don’t need to see a replica to think of it, all you need is a specific shade of blue.
