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Habari Gani? How My Family is Melding Kwanzaa and Hanukkah Customs
As we each shared some favorite holiday memories, my partner asked, “So what does each candle of Hanukkah symbolize?” Puzzled, I asked him to explain what he meant. “You know, like for Kwanzaa.”
Celebrating Thanksgivukkah with an Interfaith Family
Thanksgivukkah, the amazing confluence of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving, is all the rage this year.
Five Ways to Approach Family Conversations around Hanukkah and Christmas
How can you create a meaningful, memorable and joyous holiday season in a household where one partner is Jewish, one is Christian, or both were raised with different traditions? How can you create an honest dialogue that allows you both to share your feelings and work together to create your own family traditions?
Eight Ways to Make Every Night of Hanukkah Shine
Here are eight wonderful things about Hanukkah, one for each night, that can enhance our celebrations of this beloved holiday.
A Portrait of American Jews: Who We Are and Who We Can Be
It’s not impossible, but it is difficult this year to avoid calling the beginning of Hanukkah by its special, one-time name: Thanksgivukkah!
A Brief History of Hanukkah
The Hebrew word hanukkah means "dedication," and refers to the rededication of the second temple to the service of God during the successful revolt of the Maccabees against the Seleucid rulers of Syria in the second century BCE.
What’s Different about High Holidays Challah?
In Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah taught, “If there is no bread, there is no Torah; and if there is no Torah, there is no bread.” I love these words. They echo in my mind when I partake in two of my favorite almost daily activities, the study of Torah and the baking bread. On the holidays, these two passions intersect, as they have for generations of Jews, when I shape challah. The traditional shapes for challot (plural) can be Torah study on our very festival tables.
Inspired 5781: More Art, More Awe
I grew up going to services. A lot of services. I was adept at counting the ceiling tiles, reaching into the thousands as my grasp of numbers grew more sophisticated. The melodies became part of my life soundtrack; I hummed them as my mind wandered during the rabbi’s sermon.
What a Way to Start a New Year: A Rosh HaShanah Story
Dina and her family move to a new city right before Rosh HaShanah. The move brings about a set of problems — the family car breaks down, the new house is a mess and filled with unpacked boxes, and Dina’s parents aren’t able to prepare a festive holiday dinner. When the family goes to the local synagogue to celebrate Rosh HaShanah, Dina doesn’t recognize anyone and feels left out. However, the family then receives help from an unexpected source!