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CONTACT: lya Welfeld Jewish Christmas Envy-Especially during Chanukah If the Grinch didn't steal Christmas, he certainly put a damper on Chanukah, a Jewish celebration of events dating back 164 years before the birth of Jesus. Parents of Jewish children struggle every year to put Chanukah into context amid an endless stream of Christmas commercials and a blur of pretty blinking lights. Not only do eight candles sometimes pale in comparison to 20-foot adorned spruce trees, but this secondary Jewish holiday falls in close proximity to the most celebrated day in Western Civilization. The National Jewish Outreach Program (NJOP; www.NJOP.org) encourages Jewish parents to speak with their children about the two holidays and to explore the differences and similarities. Explain that it is okay to appreciate how non-Jews enjoy looking at the beautiful Christmas decorations around town, but that Judaism has its own wonderful holidays to celebrate. NJOP also is offering a series of workshops, especially for parents, on how to find meaning in the holiday and enhance its joy. In addition, NJOP Director Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald has put together the following tips so that Jewish parents and children can share the wonderful experience that is unique to them: · Get children involved creatively in celebrating the holiday. Let them help you make latkes-a traditional holiday potato pancake, create a unique menorah (candelabra) out of clay or other craft supplies, and draw pictures as gifts for friends and family. · Allow them to pick a prominent window in your home in which to display their menorah with pride. Add some festive decorations such as homemade paper dreidels or cutouts of Jewish stars. · Encourage the children to find joy in giving to others, especially those in need. Head to the toy store together to choose items that can be donated to a community toy drive or to a local shelter. · Host your children's friends for a fun-filled dreidel tournament. Give each child a generous supply of chocolate coins (gelt) to play with. · Sit together and read the story of Chanukah-an exciting tale of breathtaking battles, Jewish heroes, and miraculous events. Find a book at your local library or visit www.njop.org to download information on Chanukah from the Crash Course in Jewish Holidays section. · Treat the family to an indulgent dessert of gooey, delicious jelly donuts-another traditional holiday food. · Put Chanukah into context by creating a visual diagram of Jewish holidays and how they fall throughout the year. · Share your feelings about being proud of your Jewish identity. For older children, you might point out that the Hellenists (the "bad guys" of the Chanukah story) sought to destroy Judaism not by killing Jews, but by forcing them to assimilate and give up their unique traditions and religious practices. · Challenge yourself to learn more about Chanukah and Judaism so that you can help provide perspective and imbue your children with a sense of spirituality and Jewish pride by signing up for a course given by NJOP at locations around the country.
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