Chanukkah

[JewelSong]

my parents gave me no education in the Jewish traditions so it's one of like.. oh.. TWO that I know (the other being "Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel").

Worst. Hanukkah song. Ever.

My children and I always light the menorah for each night and we always say our prayers too, but Dad won't let us go quite so far as having a Seder.

Well, that might be because a Seder is part of the Passover celebration. Which is usually in March or April.

I like to teach about Hanukkah because the story is so cool - full of blood and gore and the small guys battling the strong guys and all. Hanukkah means "Dedication." The story is in the Book of Maccabee (which is part of the Apocrypha) and spares no detail. The temple was destroyed; pig's blood was poured on the altar and Judah the Maccabee and his band of followers ("Maccabee" means "hammer") fled into the hills to learn to fight and to bide their time.

They returned, kicked the Assyrians' butts and went to restore the ruined temple. When it came time to rededicate the temple and light the holy lamp they discovered that they had only enough oil for one night...and it would take 8 days for a rider to go to Jerusalem and back. Once the lamp was lit, it was supposed to stay lit.

Now, many people think that the miracle is that the oil lasted 8 days. But I think that the real miracle was that they went ahead and lit the lamp anyway...trusting to faith that God would work things out.

In the end, it's a story of hope and faith.

(The text from the books in the Apocrypha can be found here: http://www.earth-history.com/Apochrypha/index.htm I think the story of Hanukkah is in the first book of Maccabee.)

[vison]

Jewelsong, this is a riot, the ads at the bottom of my page are for "Chanukah cards, Jewish T-shirts, and gifts"!



Serendipity rules, I guess.

[Jnyusa]

I did a double take tonight while typing and listening to the TV in the other room.

A commercial came on for Chanukkah cameras. And I thought, "What the heck makes it a Chanukkah camera?"

And then I realized they were advertising a Konika camera!



Jn

[JewelSong]

Well, google must scan for words on a page and then put up ads that may interest the posters.

At the bottom of MY page is an ad for "Latke Larry...the world's only talking action Chanukah Gift."

No, I am not making this up. There's even a sound file that plays the first line of "Maoz Tzur" on what sounds like a fake klezmer clarinet.

http://www.latkelarry.com/

[truehobbit]

Thanks for the info, all!

A Seder, "order" in Hebrew, is sort of a "script" for observation of Passover at the family table. It usually includes retelling the story of Passover and a few traditional rituals that go with it. It also requires drinking four glasses of wine.

If I had to drink four glasses of wine within a three-hour celebration, I'd be a very merry participant!

The ceremony as described by you and Jny reminds me a bit of Easter night service, which is not quite as long, but also has a long section of prayers and readings and a few chants, all conducted in the dark, with just the candlelight from everybody's candles. I really like that part, but it's long enough as it is (about an hour, I'd say).

My children and I always light the menorah for each night and we always say our prayers too,

IE, I never had the impression from TORC that you were Jewish? (Just curious here. )

Another thing that occurred to me in this discussion is how private these celebrations are!
Is that a typical thing? Don't you have things happening at the synagogue, too?

[IE]

Well, TH, that's because I'm more like... uh.. a spiritual orphan looking for her roots than I am one faith or another. Therefore (and please forgive me if this insults anyone), I incorporate what I can from what I know about my combined backgrounds.

My father's family is Jewish, my mother's is Catholic and both parents became Jehovah's Wittnesses when I was about 8. I'm no longer a JW, but neither do I fit into any particular religious mold. We light the menorah but we also celebrate Christian holidays. We talk about what I know and I try to research more.

Jewelsong, I apologize. My grandparents called it a seder, but they must have simply meant a special meal eaten during a Jewish holiday.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

IE, that's really interesting, thanks for sharing that.

[Frelga]

Another thing that occurred to me in this discussion is how private these celebrations are!
Is that a typical thing? Don't you have things happening at the synagogue, too?

Well, yes, we do. On a pre-Hanukah Shabbat, we'll have a potluck latke dinner after the service, with a discussion of the celebration. And on the Shabbat that falls on the sixth night, there will be a community candlelighting party with each family bringing their own menorah to light. Mind, this is a Reform congregation, the Orthodox might have different celebrations. And I must say, you haven't seen a wild party until you saw the Chassidim party.

But just as you say, TH, the heart of Jewish observance really is at home. The biggest exceptions are High Holidays - Rosh Ha Shanah and most of all Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur especially is the day for community worship, spiritual accounting both personal and communal.

[Jnyusa]

There's always at least one Sunday during Chanukkah and our synagogue (when I belonged) would do a potato pancake breakfast on Sunday, after Hebrew School. I seem to recall the children doing a skit, too, or a variety show on that day.

Frelga, I'm curious. If you belong to a Reform Synagogue, do they have Hebrew school after Shabbat service or do you have to come back on Sunday?

Jn

[Frelga]

Jn, actually the Religious School is on weekday afternoons.

[Jnyusa]

Ah! OK. My children had to go twice a week, Wednesdays and Sundays. That's why I was curious. The Reform synagogue in the town where I grew up had Hebrew school once a week on Saturday but the Reform synagogues here (Phila. suburbs) also make them come back on Sunday (don't know how many times a week they meet). The traditions seem to vary a lot.

Jn

[JewelSong]

Truehobbit, you and I actually HAD latkes when I visited you in Cologne...they were served with applesauce and sour cream and they weren't called latkes. But that's what they were!

Nothing like homemade latkes...something we Gentiles have never quite gotten the hang of making. But damn, they taste good!

[Jnyusa]

Right now there's a Chrismukkah ad on top of the page.

Jn

[truehobbit]

IE, thanks - that is quite fascinating! I think I understand wanting to incorporate the different elements from such a varied background - I could imagine that one doesn't want to entirely give up what is really the inheritance of one side of the family, but that it's difficult, too.

(Though, come to think of it, I wonder if there are any direct contradictions? I couldn't think of any, at least not in the religious holidays. The basic ideas would be a problem, though.)

the heart of Jewish observance really is at home

I think that's fascinating, because for Christians it's in church. It's really the holidays that are only held at church, without preparations at home, that escape commercialisation.

Truehobbit, you and I actually HAD latkes when I visited you in Cologne...they were served with applesauce and sour cream and they weren't called latkes. But that's what they were!

Nothing like homemade latkes...something we Gentiles have never quite gotten the hang of making. But damn, they taste good!

Excuse me? These were Reibekuchen (or, in dialect, Rievkoche), a very basic and essential part of Rhenish cuisine! Never got the hang of indeed! All my family make fiendishly good Reibekuchen!

But I remembered how funny it was when you gave me a Jewish name for them, only I'd forgotten what it was - I'll try to remember now, because I like telling people here the story of how this friend from the US knew one of our oddest local dishes!

[JewelSong]

You could sing a little Hanukkah latke song to remind yourself:

Take a potato, pat, pat, pat
Roll it and make it flat, flat, flat
Fry in a pan with fat, fat, fat
Hanukkah Latkes! Clap, clap, clap!


(Repeat, getting faster and faster...)

[truehobbit]

Hmmh, I'm beginning to think it might be a different recipe after all!

How do you flatten a potato?

[IE]

Right now there's a Chrismukkah ad on top of the page.

Jn

I had "CHRISMAHANUKKA" and I thought you guys had done it on purpose

[Frelga]

How do you flatten a potato?

Well, you get a bunch of (American) football players over at your house...

Although I usually use a food processor.

Actually, TH, many European Jewish recipes carry strong German influence, so it well may be the same or very similar recipe.

I saw the Chrismukkah ad and all I could think of was, OMG, someone is bound to get upset at this one!

[JewelSong]

Okay, now I am jonesing for a potato pancake.

How's about a recipe from those that know how to make 'em?

And yes, I think a food processor is likely the way to go...and I know you use potatoes and onions and egg(?) but I'd like to see it spelled out.

I can almost taste them!

[Frelga]

For that old world taste, the secret is frying in sunflower oil.

I do use eggs, and I tend to get creative - use sweet potatoes, squash, tofu, carrots. My grandmother is the Queen of Latkes, I should ask her how she makes them.