Saturday, December 8, 2012
Temptation to switch is the real story of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
Would you switch from Coke to Pepsi? What about changing your driving habits to reduce carbon emissions? Would you Occupy Wall Street? Would you change your religion? Temptation to switch is the real story of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which begins this year on Sat., Dec 8 at sundown, and lasts for eight days. It’s relevant today as a way to think about what we’re willing to give up. How much pop culture can we accept into our lives, and how much of our tradition (be it Indian, Catholic or Jewish) do we want to preserve? Pressure to conform Some 2,000 years ago, Greeks dominated the world from Western Europe to India and imposed their cultural philosophy, “Hellenism,” on their subjects. Greek culture, language and philosophy were …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Decorating your home for the holiday? Show us your favorite piece!
When we decorate our home for the holidays I remind my family of the story around each decoration. One of my favorites is the very first ornament I received from a friend who told me how important it is to build your own collection of holiday ornaments. I was single and had just moved into my own apartment at the time. I had a little Charlie Brown tree and not much to put on it. The little crochet dove she gave me has a musical box in in the back that plays a whiney (albeit not so loudly today) 'It's A Small World.' Another good one is the little house ornament that represented the year we bought our first home in Pennsylvania. We had bought a townhouse and the ornament looked like our home. At the time I worked across from the Moravian …
Friday, December 23, 2011
Lights outside the mall and latkes inside marked the third day of Hanukkah
A steady rain didn't douse the flames leaping from the large menorah outside Eton Chagrin Boulevard on Thursday night. The lights blazed brightly, befitting given they were ignited to observe the third day of Hanukkah. The menorah lighting at Eton Chagrin Boulevard was sponsored by Chabad of Cleveland and the Fromovitz Jewish Learning Academy. Dozens of families attended the event, which also featured free latkes, doughnuts and other snacks. Latkes, or potato pancakes, and doughnuts are Hanukkah food because they are fried in oil, a substance essential to the holiday. Hanukkah lasts for eight days and is also known as the "festival of lights." It honors the success of the Maccebean uprising against Antiochus and Syrian-Greeks, who had …
