In Honor of Hanukkah

WRITTEN BY DENA DAW | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JONATHAN FREDIN

Hanukkah Menorah Lighting at the Cary Arts Center. This event is presented by the Town of Cary, the Jewish Federation of Raleigh-Cary, Beth Shalom, Chabad of Cary, and PJ Library.

Yarmulkes are traditionally worn by Jewish men and boys in fulfillment of the requirement for the head to be covered.

IN HONOR OF Hanukkah, which falls December 18 to 26 this year, we reached out to Mike Stevens, a retired rabbi who served congregations in Ohio and Quebec before starting his 30 years with Temple Beth-El in Munster, Indiana, prior to moving to Holly Springs. Stevens now teaches adult Hebrew classes at Beth Shalom in Raleigh and enjoys playing piano at Shabbat (Sabbath) and holiday services. His wife, Judy, a retired teacher, was born in Hungary as a child of Holocaust survivors. Both Judy and Mike serve on the Holocaust Speakers Bureau, doing presentations about the Holocaust for schools, colleges, and churches. Together, they have four children and 10 grandchildren — and are excited to share the rich history of Hanukkah with other families throughout our community.

When is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah, one of the most popular and festive of all Jewish holidays, begins

ABOVE: The Cary Arts Center is lit up for the festivities.

RIGHT: Rabbi Yisroel Cotlar (Chabad of Cary) performs the lighting ceremony.

each year on the 25th day of Kislev, the third month of the year in the Jewish calendar. As we follow a lunar calendar, Hanukkah can begin any time between late November and late December.

The History of Hanukkah

The word Hanukkah means “dedication” or “rededication,” and is related to the Hebrew word for “education.” It is based on historical events that took place in the land of Israel in 168–165 BCE. Briefly, the GreekSyrian king, Antiochus IV, after a series of wars between the Ptolemys in Egypt and the Seleucids in Syria, took control over Israel in 168 BCE, prohibiting the Jews from worshiping at their Temple in Jerusalem and desecrating the Temple, among other ways, by bringing in biblically prohibited foods. After three years of fighting against the Greek-Syrians, a small group of Jews, the Maccabees, part of a larger group called the Hasmoneans, regained control of the ancient Temple. According to

The Cary Menorah Lighting is a special celebration with treats, fun for kids, and holiday music for all to enjoy.

legend, the oil found for the rededication of the Temple was expected to burn for only one day, but, miraculously, burned for eight.

Hanukkah, called in Hebrew “chag ha’urim,” or “the holiday of the lights,” is celebrated each year for eight days thanks to what is called “the miracle of the oil.” The tradition may also reflect an earlier delayed celebration of Sukkot, our eight-day fall harvest festival — which begins on the first full moon of fall, two weeks after Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

How is Hanukkah celebrated?

We celebrate Hanukkah in several ways: We light candles (one on the first night, two on the second night, etc.) in a special candelabra called a Menorah or Hanukkiyah, to commemorate the eight days of the miracle of the oil; we exchange Hanukkah presents; we play games with a dreidel, a four-sided spinning top, whose Hebrew letters stand for the phrase “a great miracle happened there;” we eat latkes (potato pancakes) or sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) fried in oil, to remind us of the miracle of the oil; and we sing delightful Hanukkah songs.

Each year, as we celebrate Hanukkah, we’re actually commemorating a confluence of three miracles: the miracle of the oil, lasting for the eight days of the rededication ceremony; the miracle that a small numbers of Jews led the way to the Jewish people regaining their right to worship at their ancient Temple; and the miracle that at a time when assimilating into the Greek-Syrian culture was the goal of many Jews living in Israel, the desire to survive and thrive as a distinct Jewish community enabled them to prevail.

Why is it important to spread awareness about Hanukkah in our community?

The ancient rabbis taught that since all people are children of one God, what we have in common with all other people far outweighs any differences among us. Hanukkah is not only about celebrating an important time in our history — more importantly, it’s a reminder that Jews, and all people, make the world a better place by practicing compassion, inclusion, acceptance, and caring for all people. t

The letters on the dreidel symbolize the first letters in the Hebrew phrase “nes gadol haya sham,” which means “a great miracle happened here.”

ABOVE: Fun fact! Deep-fried foods, like donuts, are eaten during Hanukkah in commemoration of the miracle associated with the Temple oil.

Give Back to the Beach

LOOKING FOR A COMPANY always looking out for their community? You know that little shop on Chatham Street nestled in between Ashworth’s & e Chatham Street Wine Market with the fun, old school window displays? at is e Douglas Realty Group, aka DRG, a local real estate company owned by one of Cary’s own homegrown residents, Leslie Douglas.

Leslie grew up in Cary starting in 1980 when she was a year old & one thing you’ll quickly learn about Leslie, she LOVES Cary! Pop into her o ce and you maybe lucky to get a quick history lesson on Cary & the old photos scattered throughout. You’ll leave excited & having learned some tidbit about Cary you never knew. If you’re fortunate to spend time with Leslie, you’ll discover she’s super passionate about giving back to the community, as you’ll often hear her say, “I’m happy to give back to a community that has given me so much!” It’s an integral part of Leslie’s business model at DRG, where her & her collective group of agents put an emphasis on giving back through a number of projects, in addition to their day to day duties of buying & selling houses.

Don’t get us wrong, they make real estate look easy & you’ll always feel like you’re their only client. However, they managed to have a record year in 2022, while still collecting schools supplies for kids, delivering turkey dinners to families in need for anksgiving, helping nd homes through dog adoptions event. Now they’re ramping up for their biggest project, helping rebuild NC’s coast by collecting used Christmas Trees!

Did you know your used tree can be installed on the beach to recreate lost dunes from erosion & hurricane destruction, and also create habitats for beach critters?! It’s true! Now in their 3rd year, starting January 1st, e Douglas Realty Group will collect Trees to deliver to their Coastal O ce in Wilmington to install your trees on NC beaches & create an environment for dunes to rebuild & habitats to ourish.

We can all agree, one of the best things about living in Cary is easy access to the mountains & beaches, so how poignant for trees grown in the NC Mountains, displayed in the Triangle, then placed onto a NC beach to rebuild the dunes! If you’re looking for a local real estate company with a passion for giving back & serving the Cary community, look no further than e Douglas Realty Group!

D I D Y O U K N O W Y O U R U S E D T R E E C A N R E B U I L D D U N E S & C R E A T E N A T U R A L H A B I T A T S T H A T P R O T E C T O U R C O A S T L I N E ?

Donate a Used Tree & Rebuild the NC Dunes!

W a n t t o p u t y o u r C h r i s t m a s T r e e t o g o o d u s e a f t e r t h e h o l i d a y s ? D r o p i t o f f w i t h u s s t a r t i n g J a n 1 s t & w e ' l l t a k e i t t o t h e c o a s t t o b u i l d n e w d u n e s & h a b i t a t s !

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