RJ Blog

When most people think of Hanukkah, the first things that come to mind have absolutely nothing to do with social justice. Let’s be honest, our priorities rest with sufganiyot, latkes, and dreidels for the Festival of Light. (And that’s OK, although your doctor might disagree!) Regardless of how we choose to celebrate Hanukkah, there remains an important social justice theme within the ancient story, and it’s up to us to keep that tradition alive throughout the winter holiday season, especially today. The forgotten theme of Hanukkah is about the Jewish responsibility to do what is right. As it goes, the [...]

by Rabbi Ira Youdavin My plane landed at Ben Gurion Airport last Wednesday evening, four days before I would be joining the Jewish Council for Public Affairs National Leadership Mission, and 72 hours before the first night of Hanukkah. The early arrival was different from my usual pattern. Normally, I speed from the airport to some meeting, with a quick meal, shower and sometimes a few hours of sleep squeezed in. On this trip, I wanted to spend some quality time with friends in Jerusalem and also in Tel Aviv, a city I visit only infrequently. That whirlwind would begin [...]

by Julie Unger December is a tricky month for many interfaith couples and their families. It evokes nostalgic childhood memories and family traditions that are deeply rooted; so you’re bound to have a little conflict. To respect both sides and to minimize conflict, it’s important to discuss the December holiday plans and practices early on in your relationship. After about a year of dating, Matt and I decided that Thanksgiving would be spent with Matt’s family in Seattle, Washington, and Hanukkah/winter break would be spent with my folks in Safety Harbor, Florida. We seriously discussed this setup while we were [...]

by Rabbi Joshua Eli Plaut, PhD Two significant historical events facilitated the growing awareness for Americans that Hanukkah was a major holiday for Jewish people and that it was fast becoming attendant to Christmas festivities. The first was the formal recognition of Hanukkah by the White House that was accompanied by a menorah lighting ceremony. On December 17, 1979, President Jimmy Carter became the first sitting American president to participate in the lighting of a public menorah, located across the street from the White House in Lafayette Park. Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Abraham Shemtov attended the presidential lighting ceremony and presented President Carter [...]

By Dr. Madelyn M. Katz Anyone who has visited my home or my office knows that I have a rather large collection of Hanukkah menorahs.  It is not a collection that any museum would covet – just a lot of contemporary, fun menorahs from all sorts of stores, ranging from the Shalom House to Bed, Bath and Beyond and more. With such a collection one might think that Hanukkah was an important holiday in my home – as a  child and today. Truth be told, I simply like menorahs because of the light they give off and the joy that [...]

by Jordan Peck Make sure you are helping your partner get what they need. This was a simple yet powerful concept my fiancée and I learned while participating in the free ‘Inside interfaith Relationships’ workshop through Reform Jewish Outreach Boston. Emily is a self-described “C and E” (Christmas and Easter) Congregationalist Protestant, I grew up Conservative Jewish but starting in college I became a “Y, C, and P” Jew (Yom Kippur, Chanukah, Passover). Despite our different religious upbringings we fell in love and became inseparable quickly and only small things reminded us of our different upbringings. During the first three [...]

It’s an elusive idea, spirituality. Broad and deep, spirituality is as hard to define as is love or goodness, truth or beauty. Many people may not be interested in spirituality. But they are interested in meaningful relationships and community. Does that sound like you? Herein lies the beauty of how many of us understand what it means to be spiritual.

If you’re a fan of Top 40 music, you’ve probably had Fun.’s “Some Nights” stuck in your head at some point or another. This Hanukkah season, a cappella group StandFour has come up with a Jewish twist on this radio favorite and others. Check out “Eight Nights,” below, and leave a comment below letting us know what your favorite Hanukkah parody song is! Does this one rank among favorites like the Maccabeats “Candlelight” and Adam Sandler’s classic “Hanukkah Song”?

By Rabbi Daniel B. Syme The Hebrew word Chanukah means “dedication” and refers to the joyous eight-day celebration through which Jews commemorate the victory of the Maccabees over the armies of Syria in 165 B.C.E. and the subsequent liberation and “rededication” of the Temple in Jerusalem. Technically, Chanukah is considered a “minor” Jewish festival. Yet today it ranks along with Pesach and Purim as one of the most beloved Jewish family holidays. Clearly, the stirring story associated with Chanukah, the rituals that emerged from it, and the special Chanukah games and foods combined to capture the imagination and elevate its [...]

by Rabbi Joseph A. Skloot Until 2008, one of the most popular foods served in Beijing restaurants was known in English as “saliva chicken.” This was actually a literal translation of the dish’s traditional name in Mandarin—which could also be translated as “chicken that makes your mouth water.” In advance of that year’s Olympic games, however, the Chinese government demanded restaurants revise their menus. Eager to be taken seriously as a world power, China feared literal translations like this one would besmirch its image and so, “saliva chicken” became “steamed chicken with chili sauce.”

by Rabbi Rick Schechter “A great miracle happened there,” we say, as we spin the Chanukah dreidel each year while eating latkes fried in oil. But what was “the miracle” of Chanukah? Our tradition recounts more than one. The first miracle is that a small band of Jews defeated the more powerful Syrian army in their struggle for religious freedom and independence. As our thanksgiving prayer at Chanukah time puts it, “God delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, and the many into the hands of the few.” The Maccabean victory is a remarkable story of courage, dedication, [...]

by Marcia Brandt Frezza Several years ago my husband Tony and I moved to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina and joined Congregation Beth Yam.  What a blessing for us to find this amazing community!  What is unique about Congregation Beth Yam is that the  we have developed  a culture of caring that is part of the fiber of our congregation.  We believe when it comes to the members of our congregation you cannot talk the talk without walking the walk.

by Bill Page One of the Hanukkah songs we sing begins with the words, al hanissim (for the miracles), and thanks God for all the miracles performed for our fathers, in those days, in this season (the last referring to the Hanukkah season).  So what are the miracles, plural, for which we are thanking God?  The miracle of the oil burning for 8 days, in the case of Hanukkah, and I guess also the miracle of the Exodus, etc., etc. However, I immediately had a second, rather disturbing, set of questions enter my mind: how about the miracle of the [...]

by Annette Powers It was over brunch on our fourth date when I told him, “This can’t go anywhere…I’m Jewish and you’re not.” After years of Jewish camp, Hebrew school and lectures from my parents, I was fairly certain that the eleventh commandment was “Thou shalt meet a nice Jewish boy, get married and have beautiful Jewish babies.” With an ancestral chain of more than 2,000 years I couldn’t bear the guilt of deviating from the plan. After all, my people had been fighting for survival for lo these many centuries. Who was I to go and ruin it all [...]