Space Invaders, the classic game popular among retro gaming geeks has (un)officially converted to Judaism just in time for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Israeli-based marketing agency, K/Logic, launched Gefilte Invaders, a mod (and a bris of sorts) on the original Space Invaders. In place of a malicious onslaught of attacking aliens, we have honey jars, pomegranates (in Israel, this is the “apple”), a white dove and – you guessed it – gefilte fish (not quite sure what gefilte fish is? read below the screenshots for more info). The game works pretty much the same as the one it’s based upon, by shooting first and knocking out as many floating objects before they kill you with their laser rays. It’s a fun little treat for 5772, the upcoming year on the Jewish calendar. Play Gefilte Invaders here.
(The Hebrew banner flying behind the dove reads: “Fly! Happy New Year to our customers!” – This is, after all, a marketing agency that is hosting the game.)
A little background on Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew. Lit: “Head of the Year”): We’re entering the year of 5772, which is how many years since the Jewish Calendar was created. The holiday is one celebrated by many traditional rituals, especially those revolving around food. In fact, like any good Jewish holiday, food is the key ingredient to a successful family get-together, which is the significance also of its prominence in this gefilte fish-invaded Space Invaders.
The food items represented in Gefilte Invaders have some meaning to most families celebrating the New Year. Honey is to ensure a sweet year ahead; Pomegranates are representative of a fruitful year, filled with as many good deeds as the seeds within one … then there’s gefilte fish. This is eaten mostly by non-Middle Eastern Jews and is a fish patty, traditionally served cold with a carrot slice on top and horseradish on the side (to kill the slimy, sweet flavor that is gefilte fish). Most who are familiar with this food will certainly take joy in the opportunity to blow it up in this Jewish Space Invaders mod.
The Walyou Team wishes its Jewish readers a sweet, successful New Year. Shana tova!
Thanks to Eran Abramson for the tip!
