Alef: The NEXT Conversation
Happy Holidays, From Alef
From our “home” to yours, however you celebrate, Shabbat Shalom, Happy Hanukkah
and Happy Holidays!
From,
Rafi, Emily, Richard, Emily, Sarah, and Ruvym
My Guilt-Free Holiday
By Nava Szwergold
It’s certainly not the most significant holiday in the Jewish calendar, nor does it appear in the Torah or carry with it many mitzvot (commandments). Actually, Hannukah’s apparent lack of importance has an interesting effect on me: it eases much of the tension and guilt that I usually feel as a secular Jew around the holidays. I don’t sign on to all the beliefs and rituals that religious people do and have often felt uncomfortable celebrating Shabbat or other chagim with them. There are just too many rules to be followed and too many ways to break them.
However, my own Hannukah tradition of lighting candles and singing songs doesn’t differ all that much from traditions of more observant Jews. One evening in Israel I saw a religious family lighting their Hannukah candles in the lobby of my hostel. Later that night I saw a secular Jew do the exact same thing in a bar. Both times I found familiarity and joy in the ritual and songs, and more than that, I appreciated the diversity of people and places reflected in Hannukah.
Hannukah is one of the few weeks of the Jewish calendar when things feel relatively simple for me; it is a respite from the discomfort and uncertainty that come with many other holidays. Having learned them as a kid, I understand my Hannukah traditions and can easily share them with others. More importantly, they come with many joyful memories for me. So, even though Hannukah is not a very important part of the Jewish calendar, it is one of the most special parts of my Jewish year.
Photo by Lackac, licensed under Creative Commons.
Waiting for Adam Sandler
By Julie Naturman
As Chanukah comes to an end, it makes me think about what I used to do as a kid with my family. I admit it – I’m definitely guilty of getting way too excited about Chanukah. Growing up, the highlight of the holiday season for me was when the radio stations started playing Adam Sandler’s Chanukah Song. I got so excited and if I was fast enough, I would record it on a cassette tape (remember those?). I would play that song over and over again until my parents practically begged me to find something else to do.
You see, The Chanukah Song was much more to me than just a fun song to sing along to on the radio (or on my cassette tape, for that matter). With each version that came out, Adam Sandler listed celebrities that were Jewish and celebrated Chanukah just like I did. As a kid, I loved hearing about all of them; I would take pride in bragging to all my non-Jewish friends about how many awesome famous Jews there were. Honestly, I think I wanted my friends to be jealous of me for celebrating Chanukah instead of have the Jewish kids be jealous of them for celebrating Christmas.
Adam Sandler has always been my favorite (which, of course, was why I loved the song so much). In most of his movies, he plays a Jewish character—the name Sunny Koufax, in Big Daddy, bears a strong resemblance to that of Jewish baseball player, Sandy Koufax. Sometimes the Judaism is even more overt–who could forget the scene in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry when he insists that a yarmulke be worn for the wedding, so as not to disappoint his mother. Always so proud to be Jewish, Adam Sandler is an amazing Jewish role model.
It has been quite a few years since the third version of Adam Sandler’s Chanukah Song came out, and I am dying for a new one. Come on Adam – give us Jews what we need! I will anxiously await every Chanukah season for number four.
Photo by Ihdren, licensed under Creative Commons.
Growing up with Chanukah in (718)
By Barbara Newman
(716) is the area code for University at Buffalo (UB), where I went to college. (617) is the area code of Boston University (BU), where I went to graduate school. (716) / (617) and UB / BU – I always wondered if there was significance to the reversal of those numbers and letters. This made me think about growing up in (718) – Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, NY. I wonder, could there be some cosmic, hidden meaning to that number? If you’ve read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, you’d know that the answer to the ultimate question of life and the universe is 42. So what’s up with numbers?
Over the years, I’ve become more and more fascinated with gematria, Hebrew numerology, which is the interpretation of the numerical equivalents of Hebrew letters. Since I’m not a professional, I consulted my Rabbi. At first, he couldn’t find a significant word combination with the letter equivalents of 7 (zayin), 1 (alef), 8 (chet). After some thought, he arrived at a few interesting concepts, including one about the upcoming holiday of Chanukah.
What is the miracle of Chanukah? That the oil lasted eight nights? No. It’s that the oil found was expected to last only 1 night, but then burned for an extra 7 nights. And 7+1=8! According to my rabbi, this combination of numbers could mean a lot of things, but it caused me to reflect on my childhood Chanukah experiences in 718.
Chanukah in Kew Gardens Hills was special. I grew up in a Jewish community that has become more vibrant over the years. Many of the stores on Main Street are owned by Jews. There are dozens of kosher restaurants and you can get any kind of Judaica you might need: modest clothing, siddurs, and mezuzot are easy to find. My family belongs to the Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills, the only traditional, Conservative synagogue in the neighborhood. When I was growing up, there were a few Modern Orthodox and Orthodox shuls in the neighborhood; now you can find one every few blocks. On Shabbat the neighborhood shuts down and you’ll find more black hats and tzitzit moving about on the streets than cars.
It seemed like almost everyone in my neighborhood celebrated Chanukah – just about every home you’d walk past had at least one menorah in the window. Our neighborhood was a sea of lights: electric, candle and oil-based. I thought this was the norm in most neighborhoods, as American as Christmas trees and tinsel.
The annual Chanukah photo of me, my brother, and my dog became a tradition that can now be turned into a flip-book where I can watch myself age quickly over the glow of the menorah. There were Chanukah photos with braces, long hair, short hair, blue hair, dog hair, and friends. Things changed over the years, but things also stayed the same, like latkes, dreidels, singing “maoz-tsur,” being with family, neighbors, and friends, and the beautiful candles, each night glowing and growing brighter. In (718) some things changed – like a new kosher restaurant opening where an old one closed – but like the candles glowing brighter each night, the Jewish community has grown brighter in Kew Gardens Hills.
So what about the significance of (716) and (617)? I still have research to do. But I do know that my Chanukah experiences in both places paled in comparison to (718). I learned that the Chanukah menorah in the window is not as American as the Christmas tree and realized just how special Chanukah was growing up in (718).
Photo by MauriceReeves, licensed under Creative Commons.
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For more on Jews in different area codes, check out Issue #2: Area Codes.
Hanukkah Music: A Video Tribute
Whether you sing “Ma’oz Tzur” or Adam Sandler’s “Chanukah Song,” the truth is that there is a Hanukkah tune for you. So instead of having a case of the Mondays, dance a little in your chair (I know we are) as the Levee’s ask “How Do You Spell Channukkahh?” (Rock), Americans making Aliyah with Nefesh B’Nefesh start a Hanukkah Flash Mob (Pop), Max DeArmon and Regime Change Music tell you to “Light ‘em Up” (Rap), Dan Saks of DeLeon teaches us how to light a menorah (A cappella remix), and Eric Schwartz’s “Honika Electronica”…well, we think this one speaks for itself.
1. The Leevees – “How Do You Spell Channukkahh?”
2. Nefesh B’Nefesh – Hanukkah Flash Mob
3. Max DeArmon and Regime Change Music – “Light ‘Em Up”
4. Dan Saks – “Ocho Kandelikas”
5. Eric Schwartz – “Honika Electronica”
Photo by Ferrari + caballos + fuerza = cerebro, licensed under Creative Commons.
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