From Israel to America: Sephardi Inspiration for Hanukkah
For many years, I worked in the most special place I could imagine. A radical Beit Midrash (house of study) in Jerusalem- Memizrach Shemesh, the Social Action Beit Midrash, inspired by the traditions...
View ArticleHow to Add Some Competitive Excitement to Your Hanukkah Party
I’ve been joking this year that with Hanukkah starting on Christmas Eve, our holiday doesn’t have a chance to compete with the epic candy cane, hot chocolate, caroling, bright-cheery-Santa holiday...
View ArticleOde to the Frozen Mass-Produced Latke
When I was a kid, the crème de la crème of latkes were the frozen ones. And I don’t mean frozen fresh. I mean frozen, mass produced, throw in the oven, no-oil necessary latkes. I lived for them! There...
View ArticleDon’t Let the Light Go Out!
Last night our congregation’s chant meditation group met to contemplate light as we arrived at the cusp of the darkest day of the year and looked ahead to the festival of Hanukkah. Many of us in our...
View ArticleA Rabbi’s Christmas Message
With the flurry of discussion about how Jewish and interfaith families are handling the confluence of Hanukkah and Christmas this year, I’m here to say “chill out.” As a rabbi whose job is to engage...
View ArticleThe Dangers of Purity
The holiday of Hanukkah should be a fraught one for American Jews. Most of us know it as a gift-giving holiday, oriented towards our children, and we like to focus on its religious aspect as a holiday...
View ArticleDon’t Forget This Important Holiday Gift
This is a crazy time of year. Life is hectic. We’re working and scheduling those last few very important meetings before “EVERYONE” is on vacation through the end of 2016. We’re running out to (or...
View ArticleIt’s Not A Supernatural Miracle
Eternal light in the ancient Temple symbolized an uninterrupted connection between God and the people. When the Romans desecrated the Temple that connection was ruptured, but when the menorah was...
View ArticleTime to Make Your Hanukkah Resolutions
This week we welcome in the celebration of Hanukkah, the eight-day festival of lights. Marking an ancient military victory of the Jewish population over the ruling Greeks, Hanukkah is celebrated by...
View ArticlePublicizing the Miracle – During and After Hanukkah
Two years ago, my brother spent Hanukkah as the only Jew in his town. He was living in Burkeville, Virginia, at the time – a small town about an hour southwest of Richmond. I vividly remember his...
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How to Make A Bike-Powered Menorah in Mississippi (and Everywhere)
Spending Hanukkah in the Deep South is far from my “most remote” holiday experience. In December of 2012, I was a junior in college studying abroad in rural China. For several Jewish holidays, I made...
View ArticleTaking Sides on Hanukkah
I often wonder what group I would have belonged to when people were being asked to stand up and be counted. Was I ready to take on Antiochus and his troops or support him? Would I have thought that the...
View ArticleHanukkah Gift Giving Guide for the Undecided Giver
It’s that time of year again. In the weeks before Hanukkah, my extra mental energy always goes to gifts. I have a large recombined family, so even with my “family-only” policy of holiday gift giving, I...
View ArticleSustainability: The New True Meaning of Hanukah
The history of Hanukah may be fixed for all time. But the meaning we find in Hanukah? That changes, year by year. Place by place. Person by person. Remember the year that Hanukah and Thanksgiving...
View ArticleJoy Isn’t Just For That Other December Holiday
Let me make the quick case for putting a little more goofy, glitzy fun into the festival of lights. First off, I know, I know – it’s not the “Jewish Christmas,” we don’t want to get too commercial with...
View ArticleWhat would you fight for?
The story of Hanukkah is a compelling tale. The fight of good versus bad, the underdog minority overthrows a powerful and disruptive national government. A family comes together to save the day. And...
View ArticleHow To Create Your Very Own “Mystery Maccabee”
It’s officially December, which means those of us who have been squeezing out every last ounce of fall possible are now faced with a challenge: with only a couple of weeks until Hanukkah, how will we...
View ArticleHanukkah Advocacy Starts at Home
When I tell people what I do, they are pleasant and appreciative. The world needs more experiential Jewish educators focused on social justice! When I tell them where I come from, they don’t try to...
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I’ll Be Home for Hanukkah
A note from Nora Katz: in December 2020, the History and Heritage & Interpretation Departments at the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) welcomed two externs from Carleton...
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Everything Bagel Latkes Recipe
Latkes for breakfast are one of life’s great joys. With these, you get all the same satisfying flavors that you can get at your local bagel shop, but with the added bonus of fried potato. Here, crispy...
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