CHANUKAH 2011 SPECIAL ISSUE
Ethan Kadish, 11, Rockwern Academy — Runner-up of the 2011 Chanukah Cover Coloring Contest
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2011
Giving the gift of tikkun olam By Suzanne Kurtz Jewish Telegraphic Agency WASHINGTON (JTA) — If the thought of spending too much Chanukah gelt on lavish gifts for friends and loved ones seems a little dim this year, adding a little tikkun olam to the presents can give your Festival of Lights a memorable glow. The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism has assembled a Social Justice Chanukah Gift Guide with gift-giving ideas suitable for all the do-gooders on your list. Buying fair trade products, adopting a U.S. serviceman or servicewoman, donating blood or joining the National Bone Marrow Registry are just a few of the suggestions that can be found easily on their website. There’s an idea for each of the eight nights of Chanukah. The organization created the guide two years ago, says Naomi Abelson, the social action specialist at the Union for Reform Judaism, “when we realized no such resource existed” to help those interested in giving gifts for Chanukah with a social justice bent. Some rabbis and synagogues go even further in aiding their congregants with non-commercial gift-giving ideas. Congregation Beth Israel in Austin, Texas, has been hosting a Chanukah Mitzvah Bazaar for the past 15 years, says Rabbi Cookie Olshein, as an alternative to gift shopping for the holiday. A philanthropic cause is chosen each year — like hunger, aging, Israel or the environment — and several charitable organizations devoted to the cause are invited to come to the bazaar and introduce their work, services and mission to the holiday shopping congregants. The shoppers select an organization that they would like to support, and
purchase a donation for friends and loved ones in lieu of buying them an actual present. A beautiful, personalized card is included. “Chanukah isn’t Yom Kippur, it isn’t a major holiday,” Olshein says. “It is a celebration of Jewish identity, and small acts can make a big change in the world.” And unlike Purim, says Rabbi Sari Laufer of Congregation Rodeph Shalom in New York, there is no religious commandment instructing us to give gifts on Chanukah.
“It is a celebration of Jewish identity, and small acts can make a big change in the world.” Rabbi Cookie Olshein
Still, every year, Laufer compiles an “Eight Nights, Eight Ways” list for her congregants with suggestions for them to “Bring Hope on Chanukah,” she says. For families who want to bring a social action spirit to their holiday celebration, Laufer encourages parents to have their children pick out a toy for a child in need instead of receiving one themselves or volunteering as a family at a soup kitchen one night instead of making latkes at home. Since gift giving is probably not what the Maccabees had in mind for celebrating the Chanukah miracle, Rabbi Elyse Frishman of Barnert Temple in Franklin Lakes, N.J., says the
home-based aspect of the holiday lends itself to an ideal opportunity for families to also reinforce traditional values like learning, humility and acts of loving kindness. During the lighting of the menorah, Frishman encourages families to take the time and ask questions: Who are these candles for? What matters to us as a family? Who might we think of tonight? If children in need of books come to mind, Reading Village, a nonprofit organization that promotes literacy in impoverished villages in Guatemala, has created a family discussion guide geared to Chanukah. With its Light Up Literacy program, children are encouraged to forgo a toy on the seventh night and instead give tzedakah to Reading Village. Guided learning material for having a discussion about the importance of books and literacy are also part of the program, along with a special blessing to be recited over the Chanukah candles. The program, says Linda Smith, founder of Reading Village, not only “helps to lessen the consumerism angle” of Chanukah but creates a shared bound between Jewish families and the families in Guatemala, since candle-lighting rituals are also symbolic in Mayan culture. Rabbi Isaac Jeret, of Congregation Ner Tamid of South Bay in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., however, says the Chanukah candles should ultimately serve as a reminder “of our unique Jewish light.” “We won’t be able to be there for anybody else if we don’t ensure our own sustainability,” Jeret says. “We teach the world by way of example, but we are the miracle of Chanukah and we must preserve that light.”
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Chanukah in Israel: Sufganiyot on the streets, burning lights and family fun By Marcy Oster Jewish Telegraphic Agency
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JERUSALEM (JTA) — They’re making sufganiyot on the streets of Israel; Chanukah must be near. Actually it started feeling like Chanukah here about two days after Sukkot, when the first vendors started frying the delicious and caloric doughnuts in vats of oil in front of bakeries and on the street in towns throughout the country. As malls in America rush the Christmas season by putting up decorations right after Halloween, some vendors in the heart of Jerusalem were making sufganiyot in the middle of Sukkot. I spend the weeks until Chanukah checking out the sufganiyot offerings — jelly, chocolate, custard, you name it. At a rumored 1,000 calories each, I can only allow myself one or two throughout the whole season, so they had better be good. One of the highlights of my family’s Chanukah is our annual venture to a fancy coffee shop for sufganiyot and hot cocoa (for the kids, coffee for me). Last year’s offerings included sufganiyot filling with flavors such as champagne, taffy and pistachio. But Chanukah in Israel is not all about sufganiyot. With the kids out of school for a week, family fun rules. Workplaces mostly stay open, but stay-at-home moms and parents who manage to get some end-of-the-year time off do not want for kid-friendly activities during Chanukah. Cities throughout Israel offer many cultural extravaganzas during the holiday. There are musicals and plays for children, often starring some of the best known old and new Israeli television and music personalities. Malls feature children’s programming like arts and crafts stations, or they set up stages with visits from jugglers, singers and often characters from beloved Israeli children’s shows such as “Yuval Mibubal” (“Yuval
Courtesy of Nati Shohat/Flash90
A woman on King George Street in Jerusalem appears perplexed picking from the array of sufganiyot choices for Chanukah.
the Confused”) or “Kofiko” (a monkey with very human traits). One of our favorite happenings in recent years featured candle dipping. Others included demonstrations of making olive oil and pita (and eating). There are also plenty of Chanukah parties to attend in the evenings, either public or private. Like in America, synagogues, schools and other institutions host parties, and kindergartens put on pre-Chanukah extravaganzas with song-and-dance presentations for parents. Families get together to light candles and fry latkes in celebration of the miracle of the oil. Our extended family gets together every year for Chanukah, though coordinating the event becomes more difficult each year as more of the nieces and nephews marry, move away from the community and have children of their own. One of the highlights of our party is the family sing-along, which begins with songs for Chanukah, moves on to wellloved national Israeli songs and finally moves into a different realm — Simon and Garfunkel and show tunes. There are plenty of public lightings of the chanukiyah — in
the Knesset, on army bases, at the Western Wall. The president and the prime minister travel to significant spots throughout the country, and sometimes the world, to kindle the Chanukah lights. Also as in the United States, and throughout the world, Chabad is a palpable presence in Israel during Chanukah, with their chanukiyot sprouting in town squares, public parks and on the backs of cars. In our own community, the local Chabad lights a tall chanukiyah in the middle of our open-air mall, inviting children to come each night to sing the blessings and enjoy sufganiyot. Perhaps the best part about being in Israel during Chanukah is walking down the streets of many cities and seeing Chanukah lights burning, often in special glass containers, outside next to the front door. With the mezuzah on one side and the Chanukah lights on the other, the home is surrounded by mitzvot, according to tradition. And since everyone lights their own chanukiyot, it is not uncommon to see a home with dozens of lights burning in the window. It truly makes Chanukah feel like a national celebration.
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U.S. Postal Service releases 2011 Hanukkah stamp With this festive stamp, the U.S. Postal Service commemorates Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. The stamp art was created by graphic designer Suzanne Kleinwaks of Falls Church, Va. Bright colors express the joyful spirit of the holiday, and the eight shapes behind the letters spelling out “Hanukkah” symbolize the eight days and nights of the celebration. The second “k” appears on the silhouette of a dreidel, a spinning top that children traditionally play with at Hanukkah. Each of the letters in this design is subtly tilted to mimic the movement of the dreidel as it twirls. This stamp design is the fourth U.S. issuance to commemorate Hanukkah. The Postal Service issued its first Hanukkah stamp, a stylized illustration of a menorah, in 1996. A design featuring an ornate dreidel followed in 2004, and a photograph of a menorah with nine lit
TORONTO (JTA) — Canada’s post office has issued two Chanukah-themed stamps. One features a lit menorah and the words “Happy Chanukah” in English and French. The other depicts a dreidel, also with the words “Happy Chanukah” in both of Canada’s official languages. The stamps were first issued in
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October and were made available again last week at postal outlets across the country, as well as by phone or mail. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs worked with Canada Post in reviewing the designs and editing the accompanying descriptions. “In offering these great products, Canada Post is enabling our community to share the beauty and inspiration of Chanukah with all Canadians,” said Shimon Fogel,
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In tough times, relying on the Jewish community for help By Penny Schwartz Jewish Telegraphic Agency
HAPPY CHANUKAH
Happy Chanukah
BOSTON (JTA) — In August, in the heat of the summer, a Boston-area mother of three began to worry about how she would pay for Chanukah gifts. Across the country in San Francisco, a 33year-old Russian-born mother of six said that thinking about this Chanukah made her cry. Both women — Lauren of Boston and Lilya of San Francisco (they asked that their last names not be used) — are struggling in a down economy to provide for their families. Still, they are hopeful that with support of Jewish organizations, they will find meaningful ways to celebrate the eight-day Festival of Lights. As American Jews prepare to celebrate Chanukah, which this year begins on the evening of Dec. 20, Jewish social service agencies across the country are gearing up to help the growing number of needy American families. In the five boroughs of New York City, the magnitude of Jewish need is huge, according to William Rapfogel, CEO of the New York-based Met Council, a Jewish anti-poverty agency. Even before 2008, when the recession hit, Rapfogel estimated that onethird of the 1 million Jews living in New York City live at or near poverty. Since ‘08, more middle-class and upper-tier earners have experienced job loss and other financial crises. “There now really is no unaffected group, except maybe the very top income earners,” Robert Moffitt, a professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University, told The Associated Press. “Recessions are supposed to be temporary, and when it’s over, everything returns to where it was before. But the worry now is that the downturn — which will end
eventually — will have long-lasting effects on families who lose jobs, become worse off and can’t recover.” At Chanukah, Rapfogel expects his agency to distribute 15,000 to 20,000 toys. In New York, kosher pantries serving those in need will offer Chanukah food, he said.
dated at Chanukah time. “We anticipate a lot of tough stories this year,” she told JTA in a phone interview. Noting that the hard times have hit middle-class families, Cohen said, “We hadn’t experienced that as much before.” Chanukah once was Lilya’s favorite holiday. She had immigrated to America in 1993 at the
“There now really is no unaffected group, except maybe the very top income earners.” Robert Moffitt
Understanding the growing need for families, Lauren began calling Jewish groups in the summer hoping to get a head start to arrange for her three young sons to receive Chanukah gifts. She has tried to manage the gift-giving expectations, but admits it’s stressful. Three years ago, her middleclass family faced an unpredictable crisis that left Lauren to raise her children on her own. Lauren sold her home and is living in a smaller house with the financial support of her family. She is juggling four separate part-time jobs, from caring for an elderly blind woman to office work for a seasonal service company. Her children participate in the Jewish Big Brothers and Big Sisters program in New England, which provides some gift cards and will host a Chanukah party for its families. Lisa Cohen, a licensed social worker and vice president of programs and services for the organization, says the program is inun-
age of 14 with her parents and siblings. After she married, she would decorate her home and host a large family gathering, setting a table with special Chanukah dishes. But last year, Lilya ended a difficult marriage and now is the sole support of her children. She is struggling to find work. Lilya, trying to make significant changes in her life, says staff members at Jewish Family and Children’s Services in the San Francisco Bay Area have helped with everything from resumewriting assistance to emergency funds and supermarket vouchers. “I dont feel alone,” she said. Jewish Family and Children’s Services in the Bay Area over the last several years has seen an increase in families who had never utilized a social service agency, said Gayle Zahler, the agency’s associate executive director. She said her agency will see a 15 percent increase in the number of families seeking help, with a total of 3,000 families in some kind of
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CHANUKAH • B7
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2011
Courtesy of JFCS, San Francisco
Young volunteers at the Jewish Family and Children’s Services in San Francisco help the agency feed the hungry at Chanukah and throughout the year.
economic distress. At Chanukah, people feel more isolated, Zahler says. Her agency maintains five regional food pantries, including one at the San Francisco office. For the High Holidays it collected a record 11,000 pounds of non-perishable food. The office is gearing up for a similar drive for Chanukah, she said. Rapfogel says the proximity this year between Chanukah and Christmas on Dec. 25 has an impact on how the holiday is observed. Even in predominately Jewish neighborhoods, Christmas ornaments and decorations are on full display. “It’s a fact of life. There’s pressure on families to buy gifts,” he said. For retailers, that proximity provides some optimism. Naftoli Versch, who directs Internet marketing for Rite Lite, a large manufacturer of seasonal Judaica, told JTA that when the two holidays fall at approximately the same time, retailers can market the holidays together.
“There’s a lot more excitement,” he told JTA. And Chanukah already is the biggest season for Rite Lite, which this year is offering 50 new products for the holiday. Expected to be among the most popular are home-related items such as Chanukah cupcake kits and environmentally “green” products, including organic vegetable wax candles in a biodegradable box. The economy plays an important role in how Americans celebrate Chanukah, according to Dianne Ashton, whose book “Hanukkah in America” will be published next year. At the end of the 1800s, when Christmas became more child-centered and sentimental, the rise of department stores led to gift giving for children for both holidays. By contrast, in the 1930s, during the Depression, the Jewish women’s magazine Women’s League Outlook featured paper cutouts for a headband for kids that had paper candle holders, like a Chanukah menorah. Throughout American history,
Chanukah has offered Jewish families the opportunity to shape celebrations that are meaningful to them in their own homes, Ashton said. “It will continue to be shaped by American Jews as they wish to shape it,” she suggested. Last year, Lilya didn’t decorate her house. Her 14-year-old daughter told her that it didn’t feel like a holiday. That saddened Lilya, so this year she intends to bring her children to community Chanukah programs. “I do have hope,” she told JTA. For Lauren, Chanukah is a time to slow down her family’s hectic pace to celebrate the holiday, using homemade menorahs and dreidels her sons made in Hebrew school — the local Chabad congregation provided a scholarship that allows her sons to attend Hebrew school and summer camp. Lauren sees a positive outcome from the upheaval in their lives. “This has brought me closer to Judaism,” she said. “My boys wouldn’t be in Hebrew school.”
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Pump up the volume: Music propels the way to a rededicated Jewish life By Dasee Berkowitz Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK (JTA) — My 3year-old son is obsessed with showing people his room, sidling sheepishly over to guests and asking, “Can I show you my room?” My son reminds me how important our “place” is — “A Room of One’s Own,” in Virginia Wolff’s words. Our rooms make us feel secure and anchor us. (Just ask a teenager how important that is.) A room enables us to recharge before heading out into the world to do our work, and contains the objects, pictures and music that entertain us, occupy and preoccupy us, and evoke memories of another time. I’ve been thinking about this room metaphor, especially as Chanukah nears. Chanukah means dedication. What we are celebrating is the courage of the Maccabees to rededicate the Temple in Jerusalem, the center of our Jewish lives, after it was defiled by the Assyrian Greeks in 164 BCE. They re-established the room for the Jews to do their sacred work in the world. What would it mean for us to dedicate a space and to make room for Judaism in our own lives? More specifically, what does our “Jewish room” (read: Jewish identity) look like? What are the objects and pictures in it? What is the ambiance of our Jewish room?
Courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Paramus, N.J.
The Maccabeats, Yeshiva University’s a cappella group, with their 2010 YouTube sensation “Candelight” freshens up the Chanukah story.
Is it a place that we feel like ourselves, or do we feel stiff and formal in it? Is our Jewish room more like a closet tucked away, a place that is in desperate need to be organized, the dust cleared away and precious gems of our past revived? Is it a place that we feel a tinge of guilt each time we pass because it has fallen into neglect? Chanukah is an opportunity to do a little rededication of our Jewish rooms and Jewish lives. But what aspect of Jewish life do we want to rededicate? Classic and contemporary Chanukah music can help answer the question. We all know how central music is to enlivening a room. (My 3-year-old loves to croon away to his favorite kiddie rock on his new CD while bouncing off his bed and clutching his little ukulele.) One of my favorite Chanukah songs is “Al Hanisim,” literally “Of the Miracles.” Traditionally inserted into the standing silent prayer, or Amidah, the blessing after meals and sung throughout the holiday, it praises G-d for the “miracles, and for the salvation, and for the mighty deeds, and for the victories, and for the battles which You performed for our ancestors in those days, at this time.” It clearly affirms G-d’s centrality to the story of Chanukah and for the miracle of oil that lasted eight days, and renders less central the military victory of the
Maccabees. Another classic, “Maoz Tsur,” or “Rock of Ages,” written around the 13th century in Europe, is a brief recounting of Jewish history and also focuses on G-d’s centrality: “Rock of ages, let our song / Praise Your saving power; / You, amid the raging foes, / Were our sheltering tower. / Furious they assailed us, / But Your arm availed us, / And Your word, / Broke their sword, / When our own strength failed us.” In a world in which we think that our own power/strength and ambition is the cause of our success, how do we let the realm of the spiritual / G-d / that which isn’t known / is out of our control, into our lives when “our own strength fails us?” A more contemporary Chanukah song, “Mi Y’malel,” or “Who can Retell?” has an opening line that goes, “Who can tell of the heroic deeds of Israel? ... Yes in every generation a hero arises to save the people.” The Russianborn Zionist Menashe Ravina plays here on the words from Psalm 106:2, “Mi y’malel g’vurot Adonai …” (“Who can tell of the mighty acts of G-d?”). The song places human strength and knowhow at center stage. It is not surprising that the Zionist take on the Chanukah story emphasizes human agency over heavenly MUSIC on page B15
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The making of a Hollywood Maccabee wannabee By Edmon J. Rodman Jewish Telegraphic Agency LOS ANGELES (JTA) — Who would have projected that Chanukah could be billed as the festival of lights, camera, action? Mel Gibson, for one, who in the fall announced that he was working with Warner Bros. on producing a movie about Judah Maccabee. Not seeing this as a boffo idea was Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, who was quoted on CNN as saying that “Judah Maccabee is one of the greatest heroes in Jewish history. Mel Gibson is an anti-Semite. He has made antiSemitic remarks in the past. I don’t know what Warner Bros. was thinking.” A few months later, the Hollywood Reporter made it known that others in Hollywood had taken note of Hier’s criticism when it announced that producer Bruce Nash was planning on making a competing Maccabee movie or TV miniseries, and had even hired a screenwriter. With two Judah movies in production, I began to wonder: Was there room for a third? A lowbudget cable version that would exploit the publicity of the other two? I knew just the guy to do it — me. After all, I had worked for two weeks as a special effects assistant on “China Syndrome” eons ago, and live in sight of the Hollywood sign. Inspired by the Hasmoneans, I would strike quickly and stealthily against the pop cultural foes, freeing the box office. But without a bankable star — in fact without anything even remotely related to a bank — I needed a miracle: an alternative way of drawing some attention to my prospective production. What about springboarding my production off a best-selling game? After all, several major films, such as “Street Fighter” and the Laura Croft series, were adapted from games and had grossed $100 million or more. That was the ticket. I speed-dialed a board game manufacturer I knew in Long Beach, Calif. — Flaster Siskin, owner of FlasterVenture — to see if he wanted in. I had checked out his Maccabees board game online and saw that he had commissioned a dramatic cinematic illustration: a Greek Seleucid battle elephant being attacked by Maccabee insurgents. I instantly imagined the movie poster. With the Maccabees very much in the news, and with an inventory of Maccabees games, I
thought Siskin would be ready to deal. Not so fast. Before entering the gaming business, Siskin had tried his hand at screenwriting. He warned, “Working in Hollywood is difficult. A lot of scripts get optioned but never get made.” “The guy who’s spearing the elephant, is that Judah?” I asked, trying to draw him in. “No, that’s his brother, Eleazar,” Siskin answered. “Would we need to change script, then, keeping Judah as the film’s only action hero character?” I asked, thinking about the costs of two stars plus an elephant. “It doesn’t need a major rewrite. You want to keep Eleazar in the picture,” he answered. Siskin began to warm to his plot outline. “The first act would show how a change in Seleucid leadership brought about oppression of the Jews,” he said. The Eleazar and elephant scene would be the end of the second act. “It was the turning point of the war,” Siskin noted, adding that “Unfortunately, Eleazar, who is under the elephant, dies too.” Ouch. For a holiday film, everyone wants a happy ending. “But then, Judah and his warriors take back the country,” Siskin said, rallying for the film’s third act. “And the climax?” I asked. “The two miracles,” he answered. “The military victory and the oil burning for eight days.” Now we moved to casting. “Who plays Judah?” I asked. “I would rather see a comedic tough guy like Adam Sandler than Mel Gibson,” he answered. “We could even have Sandler sing ‘Eight Crazy Nights,’” I suggested, feeling the showbiz buzz. “And could we update the title. What about something more box office, like ‘Judah Mac?’ ” “Very hip,” Siskin responded. Now that my concept was a go, I needed to audience test it with the Jewish establishment. Since Holocaust museum folks like Hier seemed to be the go-to guys for Jewish reaction these days, I turned to Mark Rothman, director of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, who also was a film school graduate. For starters, Rothman wanted me to know of his “deep suspicion of Gibson’s telling the Judah story with any Jewish sensitivity,” he said. Then, thinking of how to draw the largest draw for my production, Rothman told me to be mindful of the film’s potential Christian audience. “This clearly has to be a crossover,” he said.
To cut costs, Rothman thought I should restrict the battle scenes to guerrilla-type actions. “Something like sabotaging chariots,” he suggested. Suddenly worried that this was sounding too much like a war movie, I asked Rothman if I needed a love interest. Ever the film school grad, he quickly outlined how I could write in a female warrior who gains acceptance by fighting off several enemy attackers. Then I hit him with my projected title. “Judah Mac” excited him with tie-in possibilities. “Maybe Apple will come out with a new laptop, or McDonald’s a new burger,” he said, laughing at his cleverness. However, when I told him about the planned dramatic moment when Eleazer impales the elephant, Rothman blanched. “You’re only going to get in trouble from PETA and the ASPCA,” he warned. There went my second act. “Making ‘Judah Mac’ is going to be much harder than I thought,” I said, frustrated by the new complication. “Welcome to Hollywood,” said Rothman. Edmon J. Rodman, who lives just a couple of miles from Hollywood, writes a JTA column on Jewish life.
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Linking to Jewish fair trade: The bike chain menorah By Edmon J. Rodman Jewish Telegraphic Agency LOS ANGELES (JTA) — When on Chanukah we say “A great miracle happened here,” the “here” isn’t China. I thought it was. With bins of electric menorahs, strings of dreidel lights and flashing LED dreidels, all “Made in China,” I thought I had Chanukah covered. That is until I found a new menorah, a kind of “Made in India” magic lamp that without even a single rub (you bend it), I discovered a new way to light up my holiday — and maybe yours, too. Over the years, celebrating the Festival of Lights with stuff made in China, what did I care? Was it my problem that workers making this stuff might be earning the equivalent of $300 a month? Not the least. Mostly my Chanukah paraphernalia was purchased at an affordable price at chain drug and book stores during a Christmas season when seeing a Jewish flag like these was comforting. As far as I was concerned, Made in China Chanukah tschokes were good for the Jews. But perhaps not good enough. On a recent trip to New Haven, Conn., I wandered into Ten Thousand Villages, a fair trade store where I was surprised to find among the international ceramics, weavings and jewelry a Jewish ritual object that was a different kind of “good” — a metal menorah from India made from a section of a recycled bicycle chain. The menorah, according to the store, was a product that was made without exploitation. Created by a group of artisans, mostly women, who work with Noah’s Ark International in Moradabad, India—a fair trade marketing organization—it was a menorah I could light up for Chanukah and not worry if the worker who made it earned enough to light their home as well. Newly enlightened, I wondered if there was an organization that supported Judaica fair trade products; that led me to Ilana Schatz. In 2007, Schatz launched the Fair Trade Judaica website, which promotes fair trade products and provides technical assistance in designing new ones. It’s a way to connect marketers and retailers in the West with certified artisans and producers who support fair pay, safe work conditions, gender equality, a ban on child labor and environmental sustainability. As Schatz saw it, the Jewish connection to fair trade was supported by Torah-based law and Talmudic interpretation that called for the paying of wages in a timely manner and not oppressing
Courtesy of JTA
Bike chain menorah, a fair trade product handmade in India, creates a link to Jewish values.
workers, as well as not committing fraud or deception. “If Chanukah is a story of liberation, then products made for a fair wage represent a different kind of liberation,” she said in a recent interview. Schatz, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, added that “When you buy a fair trade product, it can lift that family out of
“If Chanukah is a story of liberation, then products made for a fair wage represent a different kind of liberation.” Ilana Schatz
poverty.” In addition to the bicycle chain menorah, Schatz also promotes a duck family menorah made in Cambodia; a 16-foot-long Papele Picado banner from Mexico with Chanukah cutouts; a soda can kipah from South Africa; and a string of colorful Jewish blessing flags, each with a hamsa that she designed and had made in Nepal. Fair Trade Judaica also promotes a set of candlesticks from “Israel/Palestine.” “We would really love to promote Israel products, but there isn’t a fair trade organization in Israel, though there is a fair trade store in Tel Aviv,” Schatz said.
Glittering among this grouping of fair trade products are chocolate coins. Schatz spoke highly of Divine milk chocolate kosher Chanukah gelt made from chocolate grown in Ghana by farmers who receive a fair trade price for their beans and own 45 percent of the company. These are not “beans of affliction,” she said, shifting to a Passover metaphor. “They are really good chocolate.” Yes, these goods are goodly, but would you want to buy them? Are they goods for the Jews? Looking at the Jewish relationship with handmade ritual objects, the handmade bike chain menorah called to mind the intention that goes into the making of mezuzot (the handwritten parchment within), ketubot, tefillin and the handtied tzitzit on a tallit. Reflecting that intention Schatz, while working with the many international fair trade artisans who make Judaica, has seen their “deep respect” for the work and need to understand what they make. As I turned over the menorah in my hand, I could see also adding to its value was the green beauty of an object made of material that we typically would dispose. As to the ritual correctness of the design, the shamash holder was positioned correctly; higher than the other eight. The chain allows the design to be worked into a variety of intriguing display positions. However, for traditional users, for whom only a line of candles will be ritually correct, the menorah easily straightens to that configuration. Unlike conventional chanukiyot, which can be bulky and large, this design is lightweight as a result of the bicycle chain base and can be folded up to fit in your pocket or purse. It’s a design that will travel well, making a great companion for the story of economic freedom that is part of its design.
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Latkes and loot: Is Chanukah for grown-ups? By Suzanne Kurtz Jewish Telegraphic Agency WASHINGTON (JTA) — My catalogue-stuffed mailbox was the first reminder that Chanukah, or rather the season of shopping, was fast approaching. Years of Hebrew school had taught me, despite its proximity to Christmas, that Jews were not supposed to commemorate the miracle of a small jar of oil by collecting lots of loot. Still my family photo albums are filled with pictures of my brother and me posing with our loot, smiling—or not, depending on the loot—near a plate of latkes as the chanukiyah glowed just off to the side. Those were happy days. For centuries, Jews celebrated Chanukah surrounded by an “atmosphere of play,” says Hasia Diner, professor of American Jewish history at New York University. The tradition of “giving gelt to children has an old and long pedigree,” she adds, and the transition “from giving coins to [giving toys]” is an example of an old tradition taking a new form. To get some insight into contemporary Chanukah giving traditions, I recently posted a query online to friends. Based on the responses, I sensed some things have not changed much: Be it gelt or toys, there will be lots of smiling Jewish children posing with their loot this holiday. Yet I wondered, without the anticipation of gifts, would the festival of lights still be as festive for grown-ups? Does the atmosphere of play still surround the chanukiyah of those over the age of consent? For Deborah Brooks of Falls Church, Va., the answer is yes. When her parents, her two sisters, their three husbands and combined four children get together for a “Chanukah Harry” gift swap, each person gets a present — and something from a wish list they provided. “We decided gift giving wasn’t just for the kids, and it is fun for the kids to give gifts to the parents, too,” says Brooks, 41. For those who have given Chanukah gifts to someone for decades, it might be difficult to come up with new ideas for that wish list. Gifting a shared experience is a great way to celebrate Chanukah, says relationship expert Andrea Syrtash. “If you’ve been with the same person for years, give a gift that’s something new you can do with your partner,” Syrtash suggests. Harris Lewin, 60, says his “standard Chanukah gift” to his wife of 38 years was a gift certifi-
It wasn’t the first time Jews fought against assimilation, and it won’t be the last. But we have survived over overwhelming odds.” Rabbi David Komerofsky cate to a spa. It was so well received that she reciprocated. “Now I get one in return and we go together, as a couple,” says Lewin, an educator from Cheltenham, Pa. Not everyone, however, has the family nearby to swap wish list gifts or a willing partner with whom to experience a shared spa gift certificate. Rabbi Joui Hessel of the Washington Hebrew Congregation says Chanukah can be a great time to “join and form community as a way to honor and celebrate our traditions.” Without a family unit under their roof, “for so many people, the holidays can be very hard,” Hessel says. “It underscores the importance of community, to feel connected to people as well as to the traditions and faith.” As an only child with parents in Florida and unmarried, Alexis Rice says Chanukah for her “is about the parties” and a chance to network with other young professionals. Rice, 32, a communications director for a nonprofit in the Washington area, says she will “partake in a lot of latkes” and attend “at least three” Chanukah parties and happy hours during the holiday. “I would be less likely to light the candles if I just went home after work,” she says. “And I just love latkes!” Chanukah parties for grownups only aren’t just for the happy hour crowd, either. Empty-nester Susan Stone, 61, a school librarian and storyteller in Evanston, Ill., says that before her two children — now in their 20s — left home, Chanukah was “always about the kids.” After her son and
daughter grew up and moved out, lighting the menorah with only her husband wasn’t the same. “Just the two us — it wasn’t exactly festive,” she says. Stone decided to host a big open house for friends and members of her synagogue. She made latkes, scattered gelt about the house and hung an old Happy Chanukah sign. Someone brought over a guitar and the 50 or so guests, all adults, lit multiple menorahs and said the blessings together in her living room. “It was low key, but a chance to be at home with friends for the holiday,” says Stone, who is planning another party this year. Rabbi David Komerofsky, executive director of the University of Texas Hillel, says that while he encourages adults to celebrate and still enjoy the visceral rituals of Chanukah, he urges a grown-up understanding of the historic significance of the holiday as well. It is believed that 2,200 years ago, Chanukah actually was Sukkot celebrated a few months late, he says. After the Hasmonean revolt against King Antiochus and the Temple in Jerusalem was rededicated, the Sages were uncomfortable commemorating a military victory and the miracle of the oil was born. “There’s no reason not to celebrate Jewish particularism at Chanukah,” Komerofsky says. “It wasn’t the first time Jews fought against assimilation, and it won’t be the last. But we have survived over overwhelming odds.” That is a much greater miracle than a small jar of oil lasting eight nights or any amount of loot on a wish list.
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By Andy Altman-Ohr j. weekly SAN FRANCISCO (j. weekly) — “I have a warped mind,” Lauren Mayer replies when asked to describe how she wrote some of the biting lyrics on “Latkes, Schmatkes!,” her new CD of original comedy songs for Chanukah. “My mind just goes there.” And “there” could be anywhere. Absolutely anywhere. One song, sung in Cuban chacha style, predicts that your friends will give you a dreidel-shaped potholder because “you’re their favorite token Jew, or the only Jewish person they knew.” Another song, sung in rap style purportedly by Dr. Dreidel (it’s Mayer, actually), proclaims “Eight is better than wuh-one, Chanukah is more fuh-un.” And in the klezmer-sounding title track, the resident of San Mateo, Calif., sings about making latkes: “Oil on the ceiling, oil on the wall, all around the stove and sink, and even down the hall.” And the payoff for all that work? “They still look and taste, like deep-fried dirt,” she sings. If there’s an overriding theme to the 12-track CD, it’s how Jews feel about getting buried by a yuletide avalanche every year. Songs such as “Don’t They Know (Not Everyone Does Christmas)?” and “The Jew-In-the-Gentile-World
Blues” get the point across with humor, some subtle, some biting. It’s no surprise that Mayer, a 53-year-old married mother of two teenagers, grew up listening to “The Dr. Demento Show,” a syndicated radio program that crested in popularity in the late 1970s. The weekly broadcast included comedy songs, parodies and novelty records, and helped launch the careers of “Weird Al” Yankovic and others. Mayer sent Dr. Demento, who is still doing his show via podcast, a copy of “Latkes, Schmatkes!” and received word via her publicist that “he loved it” and was going to play parts of it during his December holiday specials. “I’ve never done any comedy that is this edgy or in your face, but I think all great comedians come from a place of a little bit of anger,” says Mayer, a Yale graduate who went on to become a cabaret writer and performer in San Francisco for many years. “My hope is that Jews will listen to this and laugh instead of pound their heads against the wall during Christmastime.” Mayer crafted each song on the CD in a different musical style. “Down Home Country Chanukah” is a bluegrass/country tune. “I Hate Holiday Music” sounds just like a cheesy, jingle bell-laden Christmas song. Other styles include Calypso and gospel.
First and foremost, Mayer says, all of the songs are “just fun,” marked by off-the-wall lyrics, creative rhymes and occasional inflections of Yiddish and Brooklyn accents. They are breezy, too, as nearly all of them are less than three minutes. Mayer dedicated the CD to her father, who was diagnosed with brain cancer last year. As the CD went to press two months ago, doctors were giving him only two to four weeks to live, but he is still alive and diving — skydiving, that is, which he tried for the first time in October. “I completely get my sense of humor from him,” Mayer says, noting that he opened her eyes (and ears) to comedy pioneers such as early TV star Ernie Kovacs and 1950s and ‘60s novelty records stars such as Tom Lehrer, Spike Jones and Alan Sherman. Mayer grew up in Irvine and had a bat mitzvah at the city’s Harbor Reform Temple Shir HaMa’alot in 1971 — kind of a rarity for girls at that time. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Yale, she went to New York City, but with “rats in my apartment, getting my wallet stolen and flashers on the subway, I figured if I was going to be a struggling songwriter and singer, I should go somewhere that was a bit nicer.” CD on page 13
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New books attempt to put the ‘do’ in mitzvah By Dvora Meyers Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK (JTA) — Chanukah, though minor on the rabbinic calendar, is major for most American Jews and often is associated with receiving gifts — eight crazy nights worth. Here are three new books that emphasize the opposite — giving to friends, family and the community. One is for kids on the precipice of adulthood, one is for adults looking to infuse their daily lives with mitzvot, and one teaches communities how to act on their values. The Mitzvah Project Book: Making Mitzvah Part of Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah ... and Your Life — by Liz Suneby and Diane Heiman The idea of writing a guide to bar and bar mitzvah projects was inspired in part by Mitzvah Day, a project that was started by Rabbi Bruce Lustig 20 years ago at Diane Heiman’s synagogue, the Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington. “There would be 10 or 20 choices on things you can do on that day,” Heiman recalled. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if kids realized that there are so many things they can do that match their own interests?” she thought. Liz Suneby’s revelation came as she watched her youngest daughter struggle to find a mitzvah project that fit who she was and what she cared about. “I wanted her to do something that wasn’t nameless or faceless,” Suneby said. Heiman and Suneby, both mothers of two, decided to write a guide. They organized the chapters around things that interested teens, from arts to bullying to animal care and protection, and suggested ways for the teens to launch their projects. But they’re not looking to tell the young people exactly what to do. CD from page 12 She became a mainstay of the then-popular 1980s cabaret scene in San Francisco, which included a mix of piano bars and flamboyant, drag-show productions. She nabbed three straight wins (for directing and writing) in a local cabaret version of the Tony Awards. After 1989, she turned to a more sedate career as a corporate entertainer, voice coach, and director and writer of children’s musicals. She also has some other CDs on the market, including “Psycho Super Mom” and “Return of Psycho Super Mom.” Many of her recent gigs have included jobs for and within the Jewish community, such as writ-
“We don’t want to be prescriptive,” Suneby said. “We just want to inspire.” Heiman added, “I think having a resource like this gives a really good launching point for the kids because they can look up their own interests and hopefully springboard some ideas from the book.”
ing the inclusion of smaller charitable acts. “I’m just showing people that it can be an everyday thing.”
1,000 Mitzvahs: How Small Acts of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire, and Change Your Life — by Linda Cohen After Linda Cohen’s father passed away, she decided to take some time off. The time off didn’t turn into down time but became an opportunity to do mitzvot — a thousand of them to be precise. Cohen performed one mitzvah a day for 2-1/2 years, an odyssey that she has recorded in a book, “1,000 Mitzvahs.” Cohen says the idea to turn her personal grieving project into a book was not hers. “A rabbi saw that it [the project] was helpful for me and thought it would be beneficial for others,” she said. The book is not arranged chronologically, starting with her first good deed and ending with her final. Instead it is structured according to theme, ranging from “green” acts to synagogue-related deeds to travel. The account of each mitzvah begins with a personal anecdote from Cohen before delving into more general advice and suggestions for action. No mitzvah is too small or seemingly insignificant to make the list, and teach readers something important about charity. In fact, Cohen counts “changing the toilet paper” as one of her 1,000 good deeds. (She had been traveling with her husband in Spain and put a roll into the stall for the next person.) “I think the point is that it isn’t about the big thing. A lot of times people get stuck,” she said, explain-
Where Justice Dwells: A Hands-On Guide to Doing Social Justice in Your Jewish Community — by Jill Jacobs Rabbi Jill Jacobs hadn’t planned on writing a book after she completed “There Shall Be No Needy,” which was published in 2009. In that volume she established that the imperative to engage in social action and social justice could be found in Jewish legal tradition. She thought her work on the writing front was done. Yet as she toured with the book, readers often asked, “How do I get social justice work in my own community moving?” “I wish somebody would just write a book about how to do social justice work within communities,” she recalled thinking. That person, she soon realized, would have to be her. “Where Justice Dwells” is Jacobs’ practical guide to bringing social action to synagogues and communities. “I broke down the different strategies that people use,” she told JTA. Though the book begins with some textual and theoretical information that supports the Jewish perspective on social action, Jacobs spends several chapters suggesting ways to engage, from direct service to giving money to advocacy to community organizing, along with warnings about the pitfalls to avoid when assembling a plan. In addition to believing that the book will prove useful to communities that want to engage in social action, Jacobs also hopes that it helps to change the notion that this sort of work is an altruistic add-on, merely a nice thing to do rather than something that one is obligated to observe, just as many Jews regard the laws of kashrut.
ing a Purim play and also some songs for a Chanukah choir. She and her family — including sons David, 18, and Ben, 15, who sang and played drums on the CD and helped her produce a video for “Eight Is Better Than One” (now on YouTube) — are members of Peninsula Temple Beth El in San Mateo. Scott Grinthal — “Husband 2.0” she calls him — is a big-band singer and also the cantor at St. Agnes Catholic Church in San Francisco. Yes, that is his official title, not musical director, but cantor. “My parents said, ‘Lauren married a cantor! How wonderful!’ “ Mayer jokes. “I had to explain it’s not what they thought.” The genesis for “Latkes,
Schmatkes!” occurred last year, when National Public Radio played Mayer’s recording “The Fruitcake that Ate New Jersey” (a slight takeoff on the old Dr. Demento favorite “The Cockroach that Ate Cincinnati”) as an example of a bad holiday song. During an ensuing interview, Mayer suggested that maybe she should write a funny Chanukah album, which NPR host Liane Hansen thought was a great idea. So Mayer set off on a whirlwind 10 months of writing, editing and recording. Mayer says she’d often “crack up out loud” when writing the songs. Now she’s hoping that people will have the same reaction when they listen.
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BOSTON (JTA) — Judah Maccabee, meet the Golem of Prague. And Rebecca Rubin, Engineer Ari, and Nathan and Jacob, two brothers who are part of a modern American Jewish family. They are among the characters who take center stage in this year’s crop of new children’s books for Chanukah, the eight-day Festival of Lights that begins this year at sundown Dec. 20. The lively mix includes the recent release of an ebook version of a popular chapter book and a dazzling work of design by a renowned paper artist. Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah! Illustrated by Olga and Eleksey Ivanov, Marshall Cavendish ($12.99); ages 1-4 A brightly illustrated book version of the popular song features double-page paintings of a family — and their smiling pet dog — celebrating each of the eight nights of Chanukah. Sing along as they light the menorah, dance the hora, eat latkes and play dreidel. An end note explains the origins of the Hebrew and Yiddish versions of the song, a mainstay of the holiday. Music and lyrics are provided. (A PJ Library selection) Engineer Ari and the Hanukkah Mishap, Deborah Bodin Cohen, illustrated by Shahar Kober, Kar-Ben ($7.95); ages 4-8 Board a Chanukah train ride set in Israel, the latest addition to the award-winning series of “Engineer Ari” books that will especially delight train-loving kids. A stubborn camel provides the obstacle as Engineer Ari heads home with a trainload of Chanukah treats and
Courtesy Marshall Cavendish
In “The Golem’s Latkes,” the creature goes a little overboard making potato pancakes when it’s left alone by a rabbi and his housemaid.
toys. A Bedouin farmer named Kalil comes to the rescue, and together they celebrate the first night of Chanukah. Lively cartoon-like illustrations animate the fun and hopeful story. An author’s note explains the building of the first railway line between Jaffa and Jerusalem.
candles as if it were a birthday celebration, but he defends Nathan when a new friend makes fun of his brother. The family’s creative response brings everyone together in a fun-filled Chanukah celebration. The story tackles a serious issue without being heavy-handed. (A PJ Library selection)
Nathan Blows Out the Hanukkah Candles, Tami Lehman-Wilzig with Nicole Katzman; illustrated by Jeremy Tugeau, Kar-Ben ($7.95); ages 4-8 “Is it Hanukkah? Is it Hanukkah?” Jacob’s big brother Nathan repeats the question, and many others, again and again, annoying Jacob. Jacob tries to understand that his brother’s autism causes him to think and act differently, but sometimes Jacob loses his patience. Jacob is embarrassed in front of new neighbors when Nathan blows out the Chanukah
Chanukah Lights, Michael J. Rosen, Robert Sabuda, Candlewick Press ($34.99); ages 5 and up This gift book, a stunning collaboration between award-winning writer and poet Michael J. Rosen and master pop-up artist Robert Sabuda, is one that kids might have to pry away from their parents — or they can enjoy together. Rosen in simple language traces the history of celebrating Chanukah and its aspiration for freedom from ancient times to today, from the ancient Temple to the desert, across oceans, to shtetls and the cities of immigrant families, to an olive grove on a kibbutz in Israel. Sabuda’s mesmerizing paper creations emerge miraculously from the folded pages. The artwork is outstanding in both its detail and the simplicity of the images it evokes. The Story of Hanukkah, David A. Adler, illustrated by Jill Weber, Holiday House ($14.95); ages 4-8 Who was that guy Judah Maccabee and what does he have to do with Chanukah? Parents and educators seeking an informative and engaging book about the historic origins of the holiday will be attracted to David Adler’s signature straightforward style. Adler, the award-winning and popular author of more than 200 books for children, including “The Kids’ Catalog of Hanukkah,” is skillful at enlightening readers unfamiliar with the two-millennia-old story of the great
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military victory of the Maccabees over religious persecution by their Greek rulers and the miracle of the oil. Jill Weber’s illustrations evoke ancient times with the golden glow of the Temple and dramatic battle scenes of mighty Greek warriors on horses and elephants. The story ends with a modern family celebrating Chanukah. Back pages include Weber’s recipe for latkes and instructions for playing dreidel. The Golem’s Latkes, Adapted by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Aaron Jasinski, Marshall Cavendish ($17.99); ages 4-8 Master storyteller Eric Kimmel delivers a deliciously mischievous Chanukah spin on an old world legend of the Golem of Prague, a kabbalistic creature with magical powers to help the Jewish people. When Rabbi Judah of Prague leaves his new housemaid Basha with a long list of chores for the holiday celebration, he cautions her not to leave the hard-working golem alone in the house. The only way to get the golem to stop working is to tell him, “Golem, enough!” Kimmel writes. Kids will delight in the inevitable hilarity when Basha takes off to visit her friend and leaves the golem alone making latkes. The fried potato pancakes pile up higher and higher, out the windows, and take over the city streets. A festive ending gathers the whole city for a latkeseating Chanukah celebration. Jasinski’s memorable illustrations show the fantastical golem
MUSIC from page 8 intervention. After all, the Zionists created the “new Jew,” who left the beit midrash (house of study) to work the land. This Chanukah, how will you rededicate yourself to understanding Israel and its story better? Peter, Paul and Mary’s 1983 folk song “Light One Candle” casts the particular story about the Maccabean struggle for religious freedom within a universal context, and links it to other movements of defiance and protest that bring about a more just society. They sing, “What is the memory that’s valued so highly,/ That we keep it alive in that flame?/ What’s the commitment to those who have died?/We cry out ‘they’ve not died in vain,’/We have come this far, always believing,/That justice will somehow prevail;/This is the burden and This is the promise,/This is why we will not fail!” This Chanukah, how does our particular centuries-old struggle against the Assyrian Greeks to win religious freedom help motivate us to help others with their struggles? Of course, some contemporary fare is a bit more lighthearted. Debbie Friedman’s “Latke Song” doesn’t let us forget that our holiday celebration would be nothing without traditional foods, with lyrics like “I am a latke, I’m a latke, and I am waiting for Chanukah to come!” The
painted more like a Gumby-style robot than a frightening ghoul. Double-page spreads place readers in the action, from the cobblestone streets of Prague to the mountainhigh towers of golden potato latkes. In an email, Kimmel, author of the popular “Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins,” told JTA that he was inspired by earlier versions of the Golem story by children’s writer David Wisniewski, the classic story by renowned Yiddish writer I.B. Singer and the tale of “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” “Ghost and goblin stories make for good storytelling,” Kimmel wrote. “That’s why they’ve been around for so long.” (A PJ Library selection)
universal questions about acceptance and religious freedom that resonate with readers from all backgrounds. In an email, Dembar Greene told JTA that Jewish readers tell her that they enjoy having their traditions reflected in a series of books. One of the more memorable letters, she said, was from a third-grader at a Catholic school who said that she was amazed to discover so many similarities between the values and social concerns of the two religions.
Candlelight for Rebecca, Jacqueline Dembar Greene, illustrations by Robert Hunt, American Girl ($6.95 paperback/ e-book available for Kindle and Nook readers), Ages 8 and up Set in 1914, Jacqueline Dembar Greene’s historical novel is the third in a series of six popular American Girl books featuring Rebecca Rubin, a Jewish girl who lives with her family on New York City’s Lower East side. Originally published in book form in 2009, it is newly available for electronic reading devices. Rebecca is uneasy when her class is assigned an art project to make a Christmas table decoration because her Jewish family doesn’t celebrate Christmas. Rebecca grapples with timeless,
Playing Dreidel with Judah Maccabee, A play by Edward Einhorn, Theater 61 Press ($14.95); ages 12 and up Edward Einhorn is the artistic director of a New York-based theater company who served as the director of the Festival of Jewish Theater. Einhorn’s play is a fantasy that travels in time between a modern-day synagogue and ancient Israel. As the young Jonathan spins a dreidel, singing the familiar dreidel song, he is startled by the appearance of an old man dressed in armor. The conversation between Jonathan and Judah Maccabee starts out like a comedy routine, each questioning who the other is, but over eight days a warm relationship develops between the young adolescent and the ancient battle-weary warrior that sheds a contemporary light onto the long arc of Jewish history and ritual. Educators may find this a unique play for performing or reading aloud.
song reminds us how important traditional food can be to help us create rich associations (and full bellies) during the holiday. What traditional recipes will you try this year? How might you spice up your repertoire with some contemporary cuisine — sweet potato and ginger latkes anyone? Yeshiva University’s a cappella group the Maccabeats with its 2010 YouTube sensation “Candelight” (a take-off of Taio Cruz’s No. 1 song “Dynamite”) and the Israeli group the Fountainheads from Ein Prat with “I Gotta Feelin’ Hanukkah” (a spoof on the Black Eyed Peas hit “I Gotta Feelin”) present us with a final
challenge: How can we make traditions and stories that we tell from year to year fresh, dynamic and fun? The Maccabeats retell the story, singing, “I’ll tell a tale/ Of Maccabees in Israel/When the Greeks tried to assail/But it was all to no avail/The war went on and on and on/Until the mighty Greeks were gone/I flip my latkes in the air sometimes sayin ay oh spin the dreidel/Just wanna celebrate for all eight nights singin ay oh, light the candles.” So this Chanukah season, crank up the volume in that Jewish room of yours. Play the music loud, even wake the neighbors and discover the power of rededication.
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Frying high: Keeping known, lesser-known culinary traditions By Sybil Kaplan Jewish Telegraphic Agency
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JERUSALEM (JTA) — Latkes and sufganiyot, the jelly-filled doughnuts especially popular in Israel, are well-known Chanukah fare made with oil to signify the holiday tale. Lesser known is the tradition of cheese and the story of Judith. Like the Chanukah story, which is part of the Apocrypha — books not incorporated in the Bible — the Book of Judith tells of a beautiful widow whose town was under siege by the army of the Assyrians and decided to visit the commander in chief of the army to ask him not to overtake the town. As the story goes, she gives him wine, he gets fall-down drunk and falls into a stupor. Judith beheads the king and saves her people and the town. Legend has it that Judith fed him cheese to make him thirsty, and since she lived in the same period as the Maccabees, Jews of various communities instituted the custom of eating cheese dishes in honor of her heroism. On my cookbook shelf is a classic written in the 1970s, “A Taste of Tradition” by Ruth Sirkis, the “Julia Child of Israel.” Sirkis has written numerous cookbooks and was the food editor for a major Israeli women’s magazine; she also had a popular radio show. “ATaste of Tradition” covered all the Jewish holidays; below are some of her Chanukah recipes. Plus to celebrate Judith, some cheese recipes are included from various sources. CHEESE LATKES (This recipe is from “Spice and Spirit, The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook of the Lubavitch Women.”) Ingredients: 3 eggs 1 cup milk 1 cup drained cottage cheese 1 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 5 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup oil
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Preparation: 1. Place eggs, milk, cottage cheese, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and mix until smooth. 2. Heat oil in a frying pan (if using nonstick pan, use less oil.) Drop batter by spoon into hot oil. Fry until brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and continue until all batter is used. Keep warm until serving. Serve with sour cream or applesauce. VANILLA RICOTTA FRITTERS (This recipe comes from a Chicago chef Gale Gand, who got
Courtesy of Barry Kaplan/Jerusalem
Chanukah mini-doughnuts are called ponchiki in Russian and ponchik in Yiddish.
it from her mother-in-law.) Ingredients: Vegetable oil 3 large eggs 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese 1 1/4 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder Confectioners’ sugar Preparation: 1. In a large saucepan, heat 2 inches of vegetable oil. Set a large wire rack over a baking sheet, top with paper towels and position near the saucepan. 2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the ricotta and beat until smooth. Add flour and baking powder and beat until just blended. 3. Using a very small ice cream scoop or 2 teaspoons, slide 8 walnut-size rounds of batter into the hot oil. Fry over moderate heat until deep golden all over and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fritters to the rack to drain. Continue frying the remaining fritters in batches of 8. Arrange the fritters on a platter and dust well with confectioners’ sugar. Makes 8 servings. PARADISE PONCHIKES (Here are recipes by Ruth Sirkis for the mini doughnuts called ponchiki in Russian and ponchik in Yiddish that were brought to Israel by Polish immigrants.) Ingredients: 1 cup water 4 ounces margarine 1 cup flour 4 eggs Oil
Preparation: 1. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Add margarine and continue boiling until it melts. Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball and leaves the sides of the pan. 2. Remove from heat. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. 3. Heat oil in a pot for deep frying. When oil is hot, drop in pieces of dough from a teaspoon. Let puff and turn as needed to assure even browning. 4. Remove from oil with slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with warm sauce. CHOCOLATE SAUCE Ingredients: 1 cup light corn syrup 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon unsalted margarine Preparation: 1. Combine syrup and chocolate in a saucepan. Heat over low heat until the chocolate melts. 2. Remove from heat, add vanilla and margarine. Serve warm. ORANGE SAUCE Ingredients: 1 cup orange juice 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch Juice from 1 lemon 2 tablespoons orange liqueur 2 teaspoons grated orange rind 1 tablespoon unsalted margarine Preparation: 1. Mix orange juice, sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute, stirring constantly. RECIPES on page 17
CHANUKAH • B17
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2011
Zell’s family latkes recipe Zell’s Bites
by Zell Schulman The holiday season is upon us. Lists for cooking, gift giving and “things to do” take priority. Before we know it, Hanukkah will be knocking at our door and a few days later, our Christian friends and families will be celebrating Christmas. It is always difficult for me when Hanukkah and Christmas are so close. Three of my four children are intermarried. My oldest child’s family only celebrates Hanukkah, as his wife chose Judaism, while my middle and youngest son’s families celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas, as each of their wives kept their own faith. Over the years, as my grandchildren have grown and gotten older, family holiday traditions have evolved which satisfy everyone. All 11 grandchildren receive Hanukkah gelt and, if there is time to bake them, a tin of Hanukkah cookies. One tradition which we all
RECIPES from page 16 2. Remove from heat and let cool. Add lemon juice, orange liqueur, orange rind and margarine. Mix. Serve warm. (Author’s note: Y ou can also sprinkle confectioner’s sugar on ponchikes instead of sauces.) MODERN POTATO LATKES Ingredients: 1 cup mashed potatoes 2 ounces margarine 1/2 cup flour 2 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt Dash white pepper 1 teaspoon dehydrated onion flakes Preparation: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare mashed potatoes according to packaged directions, substituting water for milk or boil and mash 1/2 pound fresh potatoes. 2. Add margarine, flour, eggs, salt, pepper and onion flakes. Mix well. 3. Fill a pastry bag with a 1/2inch round tip with potato mixture. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Press out latkes on cookie sheet to resemble a 3-inch long ladyfinger. 4. Reduce oven to 375 degrees.
love is making latkes! I have two daughters-in-law named Carole Ann. One spells it with an ‘e’ and the other goes by Carol Ann. Both are excellent cooks and bakers, so latke making has been passed on to the next generation. Here is my family recipe for Potato Latkes. The best part about this recipe is they freeze well and can be fried and frozen ahead of time. Happy Holidays to all my readers. ZELL’S POTATO LATKES Makes 12 to 14 The idea of adding vitamin C to the latke batter comes from my friend Marlene Sorosky’s cookbook “Fast & Festive Meals for the Jewish Holidays” (Morrow Publishers). This keeps the potato mixture from turning dark. You can also use a product you’ll find in the supermarket called Fruit Fresh. Ingredients: 1 vitamin C tablet or 1 teaspoon Fruit Fresh 3 large baking potatoes, peeled (about 2 pounds) l small onion 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 tablespoon Aunt Jemima’s pancake mix 1/2 teaspoon salt Dash white pepper 1/8 teaspoon baking powder Vegetable oil for frying Food Processor Method: l. Place the vitamin C tablet in Bake latkes for 15 minutes. They should have a golden color. Serve immediately. Makes 16-20 latkes. TRADITIONAL LATKES Ingredients: 2 pounds peeled potatoes 1 small onion 1 small apple 2 eggs 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons flour 1/4 teaspoon baking powder Oil Preparation: 1. Grate potatoes on a coarse grater. Peel and grate onion and apple. 2. Beat eggs lightly. Add potatoes, onion and blend well. Add salt, flour and baking powder, and mix thoroughly. 3. Pour one inch of oil in a large skillet and heat. Drop pancake mixture by tablespoons into the hot oil. Fry and brown on both sides. Serve hot with sour cream and applesauce. Makes 20 latkes. (Note: You can also use an electric blender for grating. Cut each potato into 8 pieces, put in blender and cover with water. Close lid and blend at medium speed for 5 seconds. Drain thr ough a sieve. Put potatoes in bowl and proceed.)
a small bowl with 2 tablespoons hot water to dissolve or use the Fruit Fresh. Use the grater blade. Cut the potatoes to fit the feed tube. Grate the potatoes, using light pressure. Place in a bowl. Return half the shreds to the food processor with metal knife and pulse in to chop slightly. Remove to a 2-quart bowl and stir in the dissolved vitamin C. 2. Add the onion, eggs, pancake mix, salt, pepper, and baking powder. Process l5 seconds. Empty into the grated potatoes and mix well. 3. Preheat a medium frying pan, over medium high heat. Add about 1/4 cup oil. Spoon a scant 1/4-cup of the batter into the pan for each latke. Fry until the latkes are just turning brown on one side, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the latkes over with a slotted spatula and brown the other side. Add more oil if necessary. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with sour cream or apple sauce. Zell’s Tips: If you plan to freeze the latkes, do not drain them. Place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet in the freezer for 2 hours. Remove the latkes from the cookie sheet and place them in an airtight plastic freezer bag. These will keep no more than one month. When ready to serve, reheat the latkes by placing them in single layers on a cookie sheet. Preheat the oven to 400˚F and heat the latkes 5 to 10 minutes. Place on a serving platter in single rows. If you pile one latke on another, they will get soggy.
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