nu NU is made possible in part by a grant from The Herb and Milly Iris Youth and Family Philanthropy Endowment Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ
FRESH iDEAS FROM GARDEN STATE TEENS DECEMBER 10, 2015
december 10, 2015 kristin byrne Project Manager anDreW siloW-carroll Editor-in-Chief
joanne bloomstein Project Editor rick kestenbaUm COO/General Manager
michelle Petrillo Senior Graphic Designer
abby meth kanter Managing Editor
Patricia r. roGers Publication Operations Director
INSIDE Reach for the Stars
3
The Place that Makes My Week
11
Someone who inspires me
3
Hanukka traditions
12
Getting to the next four years
4
Sixteen
13
Bringing my Judaism to college
5
The Ring
13
The hospital
6
The Day I Believed in Miracles
14
My experience in DC
7
Sending you love from the Garden State
14
Images of Israel
8
The Beauty of the Back
15
Exchange agents
9
Na’aseh V’nishma
15
10
The Wedding Party
15
Where are the Jewish athletes?
CONTRIBUTORS Phoebe Brenner, 16, attends Randolph High School. She enjoys competitive cheerleading, dancing, and tumbling. She also likes to travel to new places. Desi Brower, 16, attends Livingston High School. She loves soccer, basketball, school, and spending time with her friends. Mack Brower, 18, is a senior at Livingston High School. He loves to play basketball, and also enjoys cooking, playing the baritone saxophone, and hanging out with friends. Ariel Ezra, 15, attends Bruriah High School for Girls in Elizabeth, and is passionate about books and writing. She enjoys writing songs and stories, singing, biking, listening to music, and going to the beach. Danny Hubert, 14, attends Heritage Middle School, and is an avid sports fan.
Abby Ingber, 17, attends Watchung Hills Regional High School. She enjoys soccer, the outdoors, and spending time with her friends. Sydney Luks, 16, attends the Holmstead School. Sydney enjoys writing, singing, and being social. Olivia Meyers is a 9th grader at Randolph High School. She loves creating art in different mediums and actively participates in many sports and school clubs, such as Key, Bridge, and BBYO. Aaron Rafelson, 15, attends Montville Township High School. He runs track and cross country during the school year and goes to camp during the summer. Ethan Ramer is a senior at Livingston High School.
Kimberly Robins is a contributing writer.
Matthew Schwartz, 11, is a student in the sixth grade at Marlboro Middle School. He loves playing sports, win or lose! Tal Sharon, 17, attends Livingston High School. She enjoys playing soccer; Barcelona is her favorite team. She enjoys hanging out with friends and helping others by volunteering in the community. Israel is her favorite place. Hazel Solender, 17, attends Millburn High School. She plays field hockey and softball, and enjoys writing and hanging with friends and family. Jordyn Zitman, 17, attends Watchung Hills Regional High School, and enjoys writing poetry.
2 nu December 2015
The enduring legacy of an incredible Team A few yeArs back, New Jersey Jewish News approached Milly Iris with an idea. we knew that she cared deeply about the next generation of community leaders and that she understood that to build Jewish community you had to begin with its youngest members, giving them the solid foundation from which Jewish commitment and responsibility will grow. A peerless planner and first-class visionary, Milly Iris was a creative force behind the abundant generosity of her husband, Herb Iris. Together, the two role models not only made a difference, but inspired those around them by example. Although Herb passed away in 2006, and Milly passed away in 2014, the Iris family’s legacy lives on in the Herb and Milly Iris youth and family Philanthropy endowment fund of the Jewish Community foundation of Greater Metrowest NJ, founded in 2006 shortly after Herb’s death. The fund’s mission is to focus on programs, like the Iris Teen Tzedakah Program, that invite young people as partners in building Jewish community. Nu is a recipient of the endowment’s generosity, but more importantly, the magazine is a beneficiary of Milly and Herb Iris’s dream for the future. It is a fitting legacy that the Iris endowment supports passionate Jewish teen writers, who dedicate their time and considerable talent to sharing their thoughts and ideas for their generation and our community. Little wonder that Milly and Herb Iris’s daughters, roree Iris-williams and Kerry Iris, continue to memorialize their parents by investing in the future of young people so that they learn the responsibility, and the art, of giving back. for Milly and Herb Iris, giving back was a way nu of life.
Reach for the Stars
Artwork by Mack Brower. Created using Adobe Photoshop CC.
Someone who inspires me Phoebe Brenner
W
henever I need inspiration in my life, I do not have to look very far. My older sister, Lexi, is a great source of creative energy. Although at times it may seem that we bump heads, deep down we truly love each other. Lexi and I are three and a half years apart and we have not been in the same school since elementary school, but that has not kept us apart. When I think about my sister, I think about all the kind things she has done — not only for me, but also all the times she has gone out of her way for friends and strangers. She always has good intentions and is always looking out for me. Lexi and I both have a passion for fashion. When she is at the mall, she looks for herself and will often pick up something for me too. Lexi and I were apart last year while she was at the University of Maryland, but were reunited over the summer. Although we weren’t able to have much time together as she had a job in the city, I loved visiting her at work and spending as much time as we could together. Lexi, as your younger sister, I look up to you as someone who does everynu thing effortlessly and kindly. Phoebe Brenner, 16, attends Randolph High School.
3 nu December 2015
Getting to the next
four years Abby Ingber
L
ike every senior in high school, all I can think about is getting into college. Although junior year, considered by many to be the most stressful year in high school, was difficult to endure, senior year won’t be easy either. Thinking about where I will end up next year seems to be my main concern and an unavoidable topic of discussion. “Where are you going to school next year?” and “When do you find out if you got in?” are questions that I, along with my fellow senior classmates, are asked not only on a daily basis, but sometimes on an hourly basis. Awaiting college acceptances or declines is a process that consumes senior year, until an acceptance from your school of choice ends the dreadful wait. This process leads to uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and curiosity, as seniors find themselves checking their emails and mailboxes each day hoping for responses, wanting to find acceptance letters. I can attest for all seniors that it truly is grueling to see others around you get into schools that you haven’t heard from yet and to constantly check and recheck an empty mailbox. Despite the struggles I suffered during my junior year, senior year, although only three months deep, has already proven to be just as stressful and overwhelming. While reflecting on my first few months as a senior and the huge challenge of finding a college for me, the only calming thought is that I know everyone, by the end of the school year, will somehow manage to stumble on the college they were intended to attend. This principle, although cliché, has proven to be accurate as I’ve seen many family members and friends go off to college, and each has ended up at a place that best suits them. Despite the struggles they endured during their senior year while waiting to learn where they would be attending, they came out of the experience happy and assured that they chose the right place. In regard to finding a college that best fits me, I am hopeful and eager to discover where I will spend my next four years, and am eager to continue on with the demanding nu — but ultimately rewarding — process in order to find out! Abby Ingber, 17, attends Watchung Hills Regional High School.
4 nu December 2015
Bringing my
Judaism to college
A
Hazel Solender
s a senior in high school, I am currently applying to colleges. It is a period of time that is both exciting and terrifying. For the past year, I have spent time looking at many different universities, wondering if they are right for me. An important aspect of any future college for me is the Jewish community. When I go away, I want to make sure that I still have ways to express major parts of my identity. Being Jewish is a large part of who I am. No matter where I end up, I want to be able to keep this intact. I know that I will be nervous to attend a school in an entirely new place with entirely new people. Knowing that there are Jewish teens just like me on campus will make it that much easier to adjust to this new part of my life. College will be a great experience, but it still makes me very nervous. I want to make sure that I remain happy with who I am. I know that being Jewish has consistently been a source of happiness in my life, and so I want to hold onto this. Many of my Jewish friends who go away to college forget to celebrate the major holidays. I hope that this does not happen to me! College is a time to find yourself and try new things, but it can also teach you what is truly an important part of your life. I cannot forget this part of me, because so many of my friendships and life experiences would not be the same without this crucial aspect of my identity. I would not have worked at my summer job, and I would not have some of my best friends without my ties to Judaism. College may be a time of discovery, but I hope to find that Judaism will always be a big part of my life. nu Hazel Solender, 17, attends Millburn High School.
5 nu December 2015
The hospital Desi Brower
W
alking into the hospital, you get a certain type of vibe. As soon as you walk though the revolving doors you immediately sense the fear of people fighting for their lives and the pressure felt by the doctors and nurses as they rush to help people in need. But not all the feelings are bad; you also feel a sense of community as everyone there works together to achieve the same goal of healing. As you enter the elevator and the door opens to the fourth floor, the vibe changes. There is hope. That is because the fourth floor is the pediatrics unit. Rooms are filled with smiling, warm-hearted, determined, unique children, fighting each day to live the best lives possible. These wonderful children are my heroes. They remind us not to take what we have for granted. We are there to give the children hope and happiness. We do, but they give us just the same. One smile, one high five, one toy can change their day and, in turn, it changes ours. Their happiness also brings about relief to the worried parents who fight the battle each day that their child does. This is why I love being a part of the family at the hospital. Each day I am there I am inspired by the courage, determination, and audacity that every child has. Every night before I go to sleep, I say a prayer for the children and their families, that a miracle will come their way and they will be able to go back to the normal, fulfilled nu lives that they deserve to have. Desi Brower, 16, attends Livingston High School.
6 nu December 2015
My Experience in DC Aaron Rafelson
L
ast March, I visited Washington on a three-day trip with BBYO. I went with a group of other Jewish teens and a supervisor from the JCC. We were very busy, right from the start. Immediately after checking into the hotel, we met in the lobby with dozens of other groups from New Jersey, New York, and Florida. Soon, the leader of the trip explained to us what BBYO was and what we would be doing during our time in the capital. After a few hours of getting familiar with the hotel and chatting with friends, we got ready for our evening speakers. Two people from the Faces of Homelessness came to speak to us. They informed us about the years they spent out on the streets. They described the struggles of being homeless in the DC area. Toward the end of the second speaker’s discussion, a few people started to tear up. When it concluded, we went back to our rooms for bed. I got up the next morning excited to begin the day with an act of community service. After scarfing down breakfast I went to the train station with the others from the trip who were working on the same project: preparing canned and perishable items to be shipped to food banks. Five of us put cans and perishable items on a conveyor belt while everyone else was given their own type of food to package into boxes. I was one of the five people putting the items on the conveyor belt. This process took just over two hours to finish. When we were done with all the packaged food, we walked back to the train station and went back to the hotel. I spent about an hour in the room until it was time to prepare a subject to lobby our state representative about. My cause was Alzheimer’s awareness in honor of my grandfather who died of demen-
tia. I had to research current or previous bills on the topic and see if my representative supported my cause. If they did not, my task was to attempt to persuade them to get behind a bill supporting it.
for each state representative. When we got to the office we were told that NJ Sen. Cory Booker was not there and we would meet with one of his aides. All seven of us were escorted to a conference room where we each lobbied
After we did some research on our topics, we walked around the Mall to interact with homeless people by talking to them and giving them food and socks. One homeless person we met has really stuck with me all these months. He was an Iraq War veteran who was also in BBYO when he was my age. The next morning, dressed in my suit and with my notes prepared, I was ready to listen to one more speaker before going to lobby my representative. He was a speechwriter for former President George W. Bush during two years of his presidency, and was very interesting. He told us what it was like working under him and what he was like as a person. He currently writes speeches for presidential candidate Jeb Bush. Once he finished, we were off to Capitol Hill to meet with our representative. On our walk there, we stopped and looked around the Library of Congress, which had mesmerizing architecture. After that, we went to the Capitol Building, which has an office
our topic to one of Sen. Booker’s staff members, Will Cunningham. Will impressed us with his knowledge of the current bills and issues, and he was
Aaron Rafelson, attends Montville Township High School. He runs track and cross county during the school year and goes to camp during the summer.
impressed by the detail I presented on my topic. He even told me about a bill on Alzheimer’s that was under consideration. We thanked him for his time and headed toward the bus to go back home. Once the drive started I still could not get my mind off the Jewish war veteran. The reason I could not forget about him was because his life growing up was probably very similar to my life and I never thought about my future ending up similar to his. Seeing him has definitely made me work harder in school this fall. The trip also opened my eyes to a glimpse in the world of Washington and gave me a better view on how politics works in today’s society. I remain on the lookout for other ways to help the Jewish community here in New Jersey or in other states and possibly other counnu tries.
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7 nu December 2015
f o s e g a Im
ISRAEL
Tal Sharon
I lived in Israel last summer for five weeks and took many pictures that I feel represent what it is to live in Israel. I had the quintessential urban experience while living in the heart of Tel-Aviv. We rented an apartment off Dizengoff so we were at the center of everything, and located only about 10 minutes away from the beach. I had the opportunity to shadow a pediatric gastroenterologist at Ichilov Hospital in Tel-Aviv. Not only did this give me insight into the medical field, but also into the Israeli culture, as I discovered how close and friendly the doctor-patient relationship can be. In addition, I spent most of my time traveling throughout Israel, exploring and visiting family. The four images I’ve submitted are from July 19, when I went to Jerusalem to visit the Western Wall. While sightseeing in Jerusalem, visiting the Western Wall, and seeing the Old City, I was exploring the cobblestone pathways. The first image is of the Western Wall when I went to deliver my note I wrote for God. The next image is of an old street in which I found two Orthodox Jews praying. The third image is from when my family and I stumbled upon a falafel hut in the middle of the Old City. We had been following the paths, the noise, and the smell that this little square created. Finally, the last image is of an nu Arab market displaying many different items and souvenirs sold for tourists of all religions. Tal Sharon, 17, is a senior at Livingston High School.
8 nu December 2015
Exchange
AGENTS Diller Teens brings together Americans and Israelis for an unforgettable encounter
Ethan Ramer Diller Teen Fellows — a leadership program sponsored locally by the Helen Diller Family Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ — pairs 13 communities from the United States, Canada, South Africa, and Australia with 13 Israeli cities, each composed of 20 teens. Since the beginning of the program at Greater MetroWest nine years ago, the community has been partnered with the Israeli city of Rishon Letzion. Last March during the Jewish Community Mifgash seminar, the Americans hosted Israeli participants in New Jersey for 10 days. The roles reversed in July, when the Americans took a three-week trip to Israel and were hosted by the Israelis for one of these weeks for the Israeli Summer Seminar. Ethan Ramer reports on their encounters.
M
y experience during the Jewish Community Mifgash was unlike any other, one full of endearment and strength. The Israeli I hosted, Uri, was humble, knowledgeable, but above all, kind. Outside of Diller, I brought him to my high school and introduced him to my friends and teachers, where he briefly got a taste of the American education system and American teen life. My family also took him to New York City, where we met up with other Greater MetroWest Dillers and tackled the city together. Each day after school during Diller, we convened as one “Metro-Letzion” partnership and participated in activities. A panel of five rabbis each discussed their interpretation of Judaism. We compared and contrasted American and Israeli life, and shared a trip to Rutgers Hillel to learn about Jewish life at the university level. The bond that formed between the Americans and Israelis was indomitable, so strong that there were tears from both groups when it was time to leave. The three months between JCM and Israeli Summer Seminar were chock-full of anticipation and excitement. When July 14 arrived, beginning ISS, the Diller 8 group chat went wild — we could not wait to be reunited with our Israeli family. However, ISS was designed so that the first week was reserved for each individual cohort. Along with our tour guide, Ilan, we had four travel days alone and three days at Kennes — a gathering of all the non-Israeli Diller communities. At Kennes we discussed North American and South African Jewry and explored our individual and collec-
tive responsibilities to serve as Jewish leaders. The second week was the largely anticipated one, when we finally reunited with our Israeli friends. During “Community Week,” we were hosted by the Israelis and became enamored of life in Rishon Letzion. This was a special week because it was organized entirely by us, the Diller fellows. We established an overarching theme to keep in mind during our trip and were then divided into combined groups of Americans and Israelis to plan a day relating to this theme and a unique subtopic. “Love Thy Neighbor Like You Love Thyself” would be our narrative; the treatment and use of the environment would be our group’s subtopic. Each day included excursions like trips to Cinema City — a super mall — and visiting a home for the elderly. A highlight of the week for me was hearing from Matan Gotlib’s parents. Matan Gotlib was a Metro-Letzion Cohort 2 alumnus who courageously fought for his country and lost his life during Operation Protective Edge. The last week of the seminar was reserved for “Congress” — a full gathering of the 500-plus Diller Teen Fellows from around the world representing the future of the Jewish people. During an exhilarating and action-packed five days, two teens from each partnership were placed in mixed groups of 26 Dillers. We discussed topics ranging from modern Israeli political leaders to our role as Jewish teens in our individual communities. What was most interesting and fascinating was hearing the different opinions and perspectives on similar issues from Jewish teens
around the world. It is this aspect of the Diller Teen Fellows program that makes us unique and unlike any other teen leadership program. As one of the 20 teens selected for the program, I can speak for the tremendous impacts and results that the program has on the Greater MetroWest community. My cohort has spread the values of Diller by consistently and actively engaging with our community — at the federation’s “Great Shofar Blowout” in 2014, at the Celebrate Israel Parade in New York in May 2015, at Super Sunday this year and last, and by serving as spokespeople for the Diller program. We were taught the importance of establishing and maintaining a relationship with our homeland and to always support its people in times of need. I have noticed myself become increasingly aware of the needs of the people around me and the significance of upholding Jewish tradition and values in my family and community. As we graduate from Diller, we will reflect, admire, and cherish the values that Diller has instilled in us. We will use these tools to inspire others and to lead nu the next generation of Jewish people.
Ethan Ramer is a senior at Livingston High School.
9 nu December 2015
Four pillars, eternal values A highly selective international program that develops global Jewish leaders, the Diller Teen Fellows program has a custom curriculum that focuses on four pillars: Leadership, Jewish Identity, Israel, and Tikun Olam. Throughout the program, fellows interact with each pillar on an increasingly personal level as they approach key pivotal events in the program. These central events include, in chronological order, a self-management Shabbaton, Jewish Community Mifgash Seminar, Israeli Summer Seminar, and a final Impact Project. The 20 individuals in Greater MetroWest’s eighth cohort graduated from their 15-month journey on Dec. 8. For more information, contact Amanda Solomon, Diller Teen Fellows program coordinator, at 973-929-2712 or asolomon@jfedgmw.org.
Where are the Jewish athletes? Danny Hubert
T
he NBA season began about two weeks ago and it already feels like mid-April. Stephen Curry averaging 33 points, Russell Westbrook averaging a triple double per game and the 76ers haven’t gotten a single win. With all of these great players going head-to-head nightly, it leads me (and many others) to wonder, why aren’t there any Jewish players being talked about right now? The answer to that is, there are only two Jewish players currently in the NBA. Those two players (Amar’e Stoudemire and Omri Casspi) only average a combined 12.1 points per game. If you look at some other sports, such as football, there are only ten NFL players currently on team rosters. The only one that stands out is New England’s wide receiver Julian Edelman. The rest of those players include Erik Lorig, Geoff Schwartz, and Nate Ebner (players you’ve probably never heard of). And finally, if you look at baseball, there are many Jewish players, but only a few who are well known or that good. The main player that stands out to me is Ryan Braun: Rookie of the Year in 2007, a 5x AllStar, 5x Silver Slugger, and the 2011 National League MVP with the Milwaukee Brewers. Besides Braun, the other players include Ike Davis, Scott Feldman, Joc Pederson, and Kevin Pillar (more players you don’t even know exist). With all of these players who no one has really ever heard of, it may make you wonder, who are the best Jewish players of all-time? Luckily, I have a list for you.
So why is it that we find so many Jewish people standing out in business, the media, and all other professions but we can’t find many in sports? When will the next Jewish athlete appear and be someone we can look at and say, “That’s the greatest ever.” We nu might just have to wait to find out. Danny Hubert, 14, attends Heritage Middle School.
DARA TORRES
Olympic Swimmer, Culver City Swim Club, US National Team Strokes: Butterfly, Freestyle • 4 Gold, 4 Silver, 4 Bronze Olympic Medals • 1 Silver World Championships Medal • 3 Gold Pan Pacific Championships Medals • 1 Gold Pan America Games Medal
DICK SAVITT
SANDY KOUFAX
• Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame • 1 Singles and 1 Doubles Medal in Maccabiah Games in 1961 • 2 Grand Slam wins in 1951
• 7x All Star • 4x World Series Champion • 3x Cy Young Award • Pitched 4 No Hitters • Pitched a Perfect Game • #32 retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers
Baseball, Brooklyn Dodgers/Los Angles Dodgers, Pitcher/#32
Tennis, US National Team, Singles, Doubles, Played: Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
MARTY HOGAN
Racquetball, US National Team, Singles • Won more than 100 International and National Titles • 6 US National Championship Titles • Professional Racquetball Player of the Year 8 times • #1 All-Time ranked by National Racquetball Magazine
BENNY FRIEDMAN
Football, Cleveland Bulldogs, Detroit Wolverines, New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, Quarterback/#21 • 2x Consensus All-American • 4x GB Press-Gazette First-Team All-Pro • Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee • All-NFL Second Team • College Football Hall of Fame Inductee • MVP of Big Ten • Served in the Navy during World War II
SUE BIRD
SID LUCKMAN
Basketball, Seattle Storm, US National Team, Point Guard/#10
Football, Chicago Bears, Quarterback/#42 • 5x AP First Team All-Pro • 4x NFL Champion • 3x League Leader in Touchdown Passes • #42 Retired by Chicago Bears
• 2x WNBA Champion • 4x WNBA First Team • 9x WNBA All-Star • WNBA All-Decade Team • 3 Olympic Gold Medals • 3 FIBA World Championship
BARNEY ROSS
Boxing, Nationality: American, Stance: Orthodox
HANK GREENBERG
• Won 72 out of 81 total fights • Had 22 KO’s (Never KO’ed in a fight) • Intercity Golden Gloves and Chicago Golden Gloves Champion • Lightweight, Light Welterweight and Welterweight Champion
• 5x All Star • 2x World Series Campion • 2x AL MVP • 4x AL Home Run Leader • #5 Retired by Detroit Tigers
Baseball, Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates, First Baseman/#5
RYAN BRAUN Baseball, Milwaukee Brewers, Outfielder, 3rd Baseman/#8 • 6x All-Star • NL MVP • NL Home Run Leader in 2012 • 5x Silver Slugger Award • NL Rookie of the Year in 2007
10 nu December 2015
The Place That Makes My Week Matthew Schwartz
Pushing oPen the gate in the warm, rusty fence, I step onto the freshly cut grass. As a grin grows upon me, I can taste the victory dancing in my mouth and I know that it will be a marvelous day. Starting the game, I walk into the dugout that looks like a little overhanging house and a smell of dirt and dust fills my nose. Heaps of sunflower seed shells lay on the ground in front of me. “Let’s do this, guys!” says my coach. As the game progresses, I enthusiastically slide down the dirty bench to get a closer look. It is the championship game, so everyone is as excited as if they had just won the powerball jackpot. While still shouting and cheering for the batter that is currently up, I grab my bat, put on my batting gloves, and get on my helmet as I prepare to go up to the plate. “Strike 3!” the umpire says, so I know that my turn has come. Getting up off the bench, I pick up my bat from its spot leaning on the fence. “It’s my time to shine,” I say to myself as I walk up to the batter’s box. Stepping into the box, I see the pitcher look down at the catcher waiting for the sign. Smacking the first pitch that comes to me, I sprint to first base as speedy as a cheetah. I see my coach swipe his arm from the other side of the field and that lets me know he wants me to steal. I take my lead off the white spray-painted base that now looks like a dirty plate. The pitcher lifts his leg and I’m gone. Being called safe by the umpire, I get up off of the rough surface of the hard base and get ready for the next pitch. “POP!” the ball explodes off the bat like fireworks on the Fourth of July, sails over the rusty fence and past the sign that indicates a homerun. The crowd sounds like Derek Jeter has just walked on the field. Before I know it, I am up again. I hear the parents of both teams shouting and cheering at the top of their lungs. Stepping up to the plate, I hear my dad yell, “Yeah!! Go Matty!” The first pitch races at me and a burst of excitement rages from the crowd. I can hear my team’s parents and the other team’s parents all shouting different things. All of these words boggled. I don’t know who to listen to. But it doesn’t matter. Whatever happens, this place makes every Saturday the best nu day of the week. Matthew Schwartz, 11, attends Marlboro Middle School.
11 nu December 2015
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through time and across the globe Ariel Ezra
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anukka is the Festival of Lights, and it is a wonderful holiday filled with nisim and minhagim. There are some minhagim that everyone knows about — like spinning the dreidel — but there are also some less obvious traditions, or ones that you may not know the reason we do them. Let us explore the many beautiful traditions that Jews from different cultures, countries, and generations have practiced on Hanukka. First and foremost, let’s talk food. Fried foods are a Hanukka cuisine staple. We eat all those oil-dripping, mouth-watering delights to commemorate the nes of the Hanukka oil. Another tradition is to eat cheese on Hanukka to commemorate the triumph of a Jewish woman, Yehudit, over a Greek general. She fed this general salty cheese and then gave him wine to lull him to sleep. Once the general was asleep, Yehudit chopped off his head. Upon finding his decapitated body, the Greek army fled, and so we eat cheese to remember Yehudit’s bravery. One common dish served is potato latkes. Jews had a tradition for many generations to cook fried cheese latkes but now potatoes are more commonly used. This shift was made around 400 years ago when potatoes were brought from the New World and introduced to Europe. Another food enjoyed on Hanukka is sufganiot, or doughnuts. A yeast dough pastry mentioned in the Talmud, sufganin, may be the source Israeli sufganiot are derived from. Sufganin means absorbent,
because they absorb a lot of oil while cooking. These sufganin were sweetened with and maybe filled with honey. Jews in Spain added cheese to these delights. Many cheese doughnuts, fritters, and other fried cheese pastries evolved from this and became popular among Sephardi Jews. These may have influenced popular cheese pastries in some central European communities. Germans evolved the doughnut into a jelly-filled version, which was brought to Israel in the 1930s. Bimuelos, a traditional Sephardi food, are fried dough puffs. They are essentially doughnuts. In Egypt these fritters were called zalabia, and in Iraq, Persia, and India they were called zengoula. Another traditional Sephardi Hanukka food is sfenj. They are yeast doughnuts originating from the North African countries of Morocco, Libya, and Tunisia. Another minhag is to give Hanukka gelt (money). There is no significance in gift giving whatsoever. The tradition is to give children a little money as an incentive to learn Torah. Many Lubavitchers give the gelt on the fifth night. Chabad also specifically light their hanukkiot in the left side of their doorways so that you are surrounded by mitzvot, from the mezuza on the right and the menora on the left. As you can see, all Jews have beautiful and unique Hanukka minhagim. Enjoy your holiday and appreciate your truly special nu traditions!
Ariel Ezra, 15, attends Bruriah High School for Girls in Elizabeth.
12 nu December 2015
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POETRY BY JORDYN ZITMAN
THE RING
Two years. 730 days. Watching from the passenger seat Fingers pointed and crossed Witness to promises broken Friendships crumbled Defining moments Youth lost, maturity gained Cruising along the highway that is my life Watching from the passenger seat
sixteen I don’t feel sixteen. I do not feel like I’m in the prime of my life Like I am in High School.
Glistening in the sun Shining in the rain Nothing but a simple jewel A band of diamonds Witnessing my youth slipping away Perhaps seeing my life in a way I can’t A different perspective Watching from the passenger seat
In my mind I am still a little naïve girl Who believes makeup and an Episode of Hannah Montana Will solve all of my problems. I am excited to go to birthday parties I am excited to watch movies with my friends I hug my parents every chance I get And I would rather be with them Than go to any party.
Perhaps forever Maybe just another year Maybe this ring will see Generations pass until the end of forever
I am still a little girl inside I am not a reckless teenager Who wants a boyfriend Or to be friends with everyone in school I don’t want a thousand followers Or any at all.
Long enough to see my Daughter lose her youth, Gain her maturity Have her heart broken And pieced back together Perhaps it will allow me To live on with my daughter
I want play dates and Barbies And the things that made me happier Than I ever could be now The simple things that could Put a smile on my face no matter what.
Maybe the last place This ring will see is the Inside of a coffin Perhaps it will be buried with me, And all the memories it Was able to experience When my car finally runs out of gas, Still watching from the passenger seat
Because now that my body is moving forward And leaving my soul behind I find myself unable to recognize The teenager in the mirror. That scares the heck out of me.
Jordyn Zitman, 17, attends Watchung Hills Regional High School.
13 nu December 2015
The Day I Believed in
Sending you love from the Garden State Sydney Luks
Miracles Kimberly Robins
She turns to me the Jerusalem stone gilded to pedestal the setting sun, the breeze, a gale to infant flames, born as the mundane dies, and atop every post David’s blue shield. She turns to me, the tears shine on her cheeks and in her eyes, the hope of a people shattered and revived, the elation jubilation of odds defied. She turns to me and says, It’s been so long.
Wrapped in the depths of your warm embrace, I find the most comfort. I blanket myself in your old T-shirts in an attempt to feel your presence again. 3,000 miles away from the smiling face that stole my heart. Phone call kisses just aren’t as sweet. Distraction is my new best friend and reality is a silent killer. I sent you my love from the Garden State, I hope you felt it.
Sydney Luks, 16, attends Holmstead School.
14 nu December 2015
rnype dyrp NA’ASEH V’NISHMA Kimberly Robins
“We will do, and then we will listen.” This is not about blind faith, though so many misread it that way. This is about inspiration. This is about doing what is right before you find the words to express it. This is about going out and being with people, toiling and living with them, before you make promises and throw money at the faceless needy. This is about the instinct to act, the powerful desire to cover your hands with the dirt of the earth, a frustration with the emptiness of the spoken word. Thoughts are fragile, instructions are discarded, but a genuine act is never lost. The Beauty of the Back, a pencil sketch by Olivia Meyers, who attends Randolph High School.
The Wedding Party
Watercolor by Olivia Meyers, who attends Randolph High School.
15 nu December 2015
Want to make the world a better place? Become an Iris Teen Tzedakah Advisor! You’ve already made a difference with your mitzvah project,
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