Jill Miller Zimon is a Northeast Ohio-based freelance writer (and Pepper Pike City Councilwoman) whose blog, "Writes Like She Talks," deals with local issues as well as being Jewish and a being mom in Cleveland. A couple of years ago, she shared her thoughts on Hanukkah and what the holiday means to her and her family. It's an old post, but a good one.Not quite a pageant, but a whole lotta fun
Many of my friends who are parents have children who act in Christmas pageants at this time of year. I don't think I've ever attended a Christmas pageant, but watching A Charlie Brown Christmas while growing up probably qualifies me to say that I know what they're about.
Despite the fact that Jews don't have an equivalent theatrical production to the annual retelling of the story of the three wise men, Jesus' birth and the manger, we do have traditions related to Chanukah story and the victory of Judah Maccabee against the Greeks in Jerusalem. I always preface my explanation of Chanukah by making it clear that it is a minor holiday in the Jewish calendar. It has great food; it has great music and it lets you gamble for eight nights in a row if you want, and if your money lasts.
But the modern day commemoration of the holiday, while including presents and candles similar to but under no circumstances for the same reasons as Christians exchange gifts and light candles, also involves some unique and festive gatherings.
The most traditional event is the Chanukah party. This year, at my congregation, there will be a dinner followed by a party that will feature a Hanukkah Hold 'Em Poker Tournament, a dreidl competition, singing, dancing, a magician and other games and activities for kids and adults. The food, of course: latkes (potato pancakes) and applesauce.
An event this year that was new to me was at a local and well-known bar-club venue, The Grog Shop and was called Jeweltide. It featured a musician who plays, "15th Century Spanish indie rock infused with the deeply mysterious and entrancing cadences of the ancient Sephardic tradition. The sound marries ancient Sephardic melodies sung in Ladino, Hebrew and English with the chaotic symphony of urban living." Who knew?
But one of the longest running traditions in modern American Jewish history is The Latke-Hamantash Debate. This epic battle between the virtues and the vices of Chanukah's latke and Purim's hamantash (a pastry) dates back to 1946, when it was first fought on the campus of the University of Chicago. The struggle continues annually, to this day, and, in fact, I represented the hamantash last year at my synagogue - and won, much to the shock of nearly all in attendance (we flattened the latke, 38-22). Luminaries such as Harvard law school professor Alan Dershowitz, economist Milton Friedman and academic Allan Bloom have faced off in the past at their respective institutions.
What I like most about the debate concept is that it suits the Jewish tradition very well: it involves food, it involves arguing and it's never-ending.
May everyone enjoy whichever occasion they are celebrating this year.
_______________________
Well said, Jill. Here's wishing the Zimon family and all of our Jewish readers a very Happy Hanukkah!
Hanukkah begins at sunset on December 1. To learn more about the holiday, see:
(Photo © istockphoto; licensed to About, Inc.)
Comments