Here’s an article which looks at simple living and the spirit of Hanukkah.
Candle ceremonies are an important part of Timberlake Traditions, and it’s nice to take a moment to think about re-dedication. We can all benefit from re-dedicating ourselves to a spirit of simple living and inclusiveness to avoid the pull of consumerism and exclusion.
Hanukkah, a Time of Rededication
REHOBOTH BEACH — Although it’s one of the lesser holidays on the Hebrew calendar, Hanukkah has increased in prominence from both within and outside the Jewish faith.
The holiday, which begins at sundown Wednesday and lasts through Dec. 9, commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, which was taken back from the Syrians and purified by lamplight during the course of eight days.
Beth Cohen of the Seaside Jewish Community in Rehoboth Beach said the holiday has been elevated primarily because of its proximity to Christmas.
“Perhaps it gives us an opportunity to think about what it means to rededicate yourself to something; to think about things not otherwise (thought) about,” she said.
She said the religious school holds a Hanukkah service each year with a play, songs and some form of a retelling of the story.
“The practice in homes is usually for the family to light the candles, one for each of the eight nights,” she said. “That’s tradition, but it’s also become a gift-giving holiday, which is obviously not part of the history.”
Rabbi Arnold Bienstock of the Beth Israel Congregation in Salisbury said it was almost inevitable that Hanukkah would embrace some of the trappings of consumer culture.
The menorahs that hold the nine Hanukkah candles — one is used to light the others — can be found in various colors, shapes and styles, he said. They come shaped like cats, dogs and even footballs.
“There have always been issues as to what extent Jews should have to culturally absorb or not absorb from the background of the world,” he said.
That issue speaks directly to the very origins of the holiday, which celebrates the Jews’ cultural and religious liberation from the Greeks during the second century B.C. Maccabean Revolt, Beinstock said.
Now, just as then, he said Jews represent a religious minority.
“Jews are a drop of a drop of a drop in the Delmarva region,” he said, noting that much of the population is concentrated in urban centers, such as Washington.
Consumerism and materialism has affected the Jewish holidays, as they have everything else, said Bienstock, who himself exchanges gifts, such as a giraffe-shaped menorah, with his four daughters.
“In fact, my daughter was wrapping gifts last night with wrapping paper,” he said. “Americans take everything and turn it into a business.”
But there’s something universal about the Hanukkah traditions, such as the ceremonial lighting of candles, Beinstock said.
Gary Kleiman, who organized the first lighting of the menorah in downtown Salisbury more than two decades ago, said minority status doesn’t matter much these days.
When he was collecting money for the project, he said Christian shop owners were just as eager to pitch in as the Jewish ones. And when the Salvation Army’s largest day for donations — Christmas Eve — fell on the Sabbath, the Jewish community mobilized to help out.
Cohen, who has watched her congregation swell from about 100 to 325 members in the last five years, said Jews still experience anti-Semitism, although it’s gotten better.
The elevation of Hanukkah is one example of people trying to be more inclusive of other religions, she said. Decades ago, she wouldn’t have expected a phone call from a reporter asking about the holiday.
“People are looking to bridge those gaps and become a more inclusive community, locally and in the world,” she said.
By Wallace McKelvey.
wmckelvey@dmg.gannett.com