Countdown to #Thanksgivakkah: This year's Dreidle song comes with a twist

Ok, now its your turn to get creative. With thanks to many contributors on the Hava Nashira listserv (Hava Nashira is the awesome annual event for Jewish song leaders), the Dreidle song has a Thanksgivakkah twist this year. Here are some of my favorites from the verses that were submitted (along with attributions). Please add yours via the comments section. Best contribution will receive a prize! (you are also competing with those participating on the B'nai Shalom Facebook Page) 

Happy Thanksgivakkah everyone!

I have a little dreidel

I made it out of clay

And when it's dry and ready

It will be Thanksgiving Day. ( Morah Arlene Isserles)

Oh Dreidle, Turkey, Dreidle,

I’m *ready* for today,

Oh Dreidle, Turkey, Dreidle,

Let’s eat and then we’ll play! (Morah Wendy Zohar)

I had a little turkey 

And then I had some more 

And later someone found me 

A-sleepin' on the floor (Fred Ross-Perry)

I have a little dreidel 

I made it out of turkey 

But I left it in the sun too long 

And now it’s turkey jerky! (Judy Caplan Ginsburg)

Oh dreidle dreidle dreidle, 

Nun, gobble, shin, and heh, 

Oh dreidle dreidle dreidle, it’s the 

Best Thanksgiving Day! (Morah Wendy Zohar)

Countdown to #Thanksgivakkah: From Israel - its all about the Chemistry

Tonight's Thanksgivakkah offering comes to you from the Technion in Haifa, Israel. They know how to mix it up just right in their Chemistry lab. Enjoy! (and click the button on the top right of the video screen at the end to see their incredible video of a Robot lighting a menorah, produced a couple of years back.

Countdown to #Thanksgivakkah: Stay connected

Not everyone fits around the Thanksgivakkah table, and not everyone is physically close enough to be together this holiday season. Then there are those who are not well enough, and others who may find themselves working to serve the needs of others on this day. But we can still stay connected. You may have left it too late to mail a card, but the Union for Reform Judaism has put together a Thanksgivakkah e-card site (and some just Hanukkah options too) so you easily send a message to someone to tell them that you are thinking of them. Check it out here!

Countdown to #Thanksgivakkah: Let the games begin!

Just in case the conversation starts to wane during your Thanksgivakkah dinner, here's some simple fun that will keep everyone entertained for a little while - Thanksgivakkah Bingo! Play with chocolate gelt - the winner gets the lot!

Countdown to #Thanksgivakkah: Putting the 'Giving' into Thanksgivakkah

Last weekend, at our Spiritual Journey Group at Congregation B'nai Shalom, someone reflected on the need to impart the kind of values that are important to use to our kids at this time of year. If we say or do nothing, they are likely to simply pick up and absorb the dominant narratives that they hear around them. And how often, after the holiday season, does the conversation among kids turn to the question of 'what did you get?'.  One of the values that we want to impart might better be reflected in a question that I'd love to hear our children asking: 'What did you give?'

This year, the Jewish Teen Funders Network has come up with a wonderful list of ideas to provide us all, and especially our children, with the opportunity to both give and nurture gratitude for eight nights.  What better way to blend the spirit of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah?

Countdown to #Thanksgivakkah: Thanksgivakkah, the musical mash-up

I think my blog readers and congregants should know the lengths I went to in preparing this weeklong countdown. I had to sit through a great many truly awful parodies, corny videos, and other ear-curdling experiences in order to the find the truly delightful, entertaining, and musically pleasurable experiences worthy of your attention. This one is just plain 'nice'. Good voices, neat mash-up and melody of some holiday standards. For your listening pleasure:

Countdown to #Thanksgivakkah: What's Cooking?

I've come across many online offerings with recipe suggestions that bring together the best of Thanksgiving with the traditions of Hanukkah. But this link takes you to one of the most extensive offerings that left me with my mouth watering. Let me know if you try any of them, and which ones get the most thumbs up.
The idea of mixing holiday food traditions leave you squeamish? Just remember that just about every food tradition we have for Hanukkah is of central European or eastern European origin: latkes, donuts ... none of these were prescribed by the Maccabees, or even by the Rabbis of the Talmud. So mix and merge this Thanksgivakkah at your dinner table - it's totally kosher. But Turkey for eight nights? Maybe not.

Countdown to #Thanksgivakkah: Colbert is not at all happy about this...

In case you missed it, Stephen Colbert sounds off on 'Thanksgiving under Attack'

Countdown to #Thanksgivakkah: 8 pre-holiday posts

If you've not heard the news by now, you've either cleverly managed to avoid all media (especially but not exclusively Jewish media) for the past month, or perhaps you live in one of the 194 countries of the world that don't observe Thanksgiving. But... if you live in the USA, chances are that by now you are aware that this year Hanukkah will fall on Thanskgiving. This is something that it has never done in your or my lifetime before, and something that it will never do again in our lifetimes. In fact, it won't happen again for over 70,000 years. And, this being the case, here in America we know a thing or two about taking full commercial advantage of any and every holiday, so there's double the fun to be had when two holidays fall together in this unique way. If you've not already placed your orders, it might be a bit late in the day to get your Menurkey (see above), or order your t-shirts, but there's still plenty of fun to be had this year, and many have gone to great lengths to produce creative videos, inspirational menus, kid-friendly activities, and meaningful giving opportunities to make this year's Thanksgivakkah a year to remember.

Each day in the lead-up to the first night of Hanukkah (Wednesday night, November 27th - Erev Thanksgiving), with the exception of Shabbat, I'll be posting some of my favorite online finds from this year on my blog, corresponding with a special week of postings on Congregation B'nai Shalom's Facebook page. If you are on Facebook, please 'like' us and share your comments, reactions, (and we'll be looking for your creative input in the coming days too) on our page and on this blog. Today's posting features rare footage - from whence doth Thanksgivakkah cometh? Watch below:

Hanukkah: Shining a Light on Freedom of Religion

Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, falls on December 1^st this year.  The Festival of Lights, originating in the celebration of the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greek Empire and the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem in 165 BCE, has come to symbolize many eternal and universal themes over the centuries, particularly themes of hope and creating light in dark times.  In American life today, it is not unusual for these eternal and universal messages to be blended with contemporary concerns.  

So, for example, a Jewish environmental group (www.coejl.org) launched a CFL light bulb campaign a few years ago, re-reading the ancient story of the miracle of the little jar of oil found in the desecrated Temple by the Maccabees that lasted for eight nights instead of the expected one.  

The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism draws lines of connection between the themes of Hanukkah and many contemporary social issues, urging us to use some of our time and resources to go beyond the donut-, latke-eating, and present-giving norms, and see the festival as inspiration to make a difference on issues of economic justice, and children’s issues, among others (http://rac.org/pubs/holidayguides/).

This year, a press release about another connection between the Festival and contemporary issues caught my attention.  In the time of the Maccabees, there had been many years of cultural assimilation, with Jews in the land of Israel absorbing and incorporating aspects of Syrian-Greek culture.  The rebellion came when there was a shift in Syrian-Greek perspective, and traditional Jewish practices and rituals became forbidden.  The Maccabees were fighting to restore their freedom to practice their religion.  While the story is more complicated than that, the theme remains all too relevant today.

This November, former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, launched a global education program ‘Face to Faith.’  In a press release from his Faith Foundation, he explained: “Face to Faith connects students aged 11-16 from different schools in 15 countries across the world via video-conferencing and a secure website. The program aims to break down stereotypes and broaden horizons by engaging students of different cultures, religions and beliefs in discussing global issues from different perspectives.”  A number of schools across the USA are already involved.  But I was also encouraged and moved to learn that Mr. Blair is launching the program in Israel on the first night of Hanukkah at an event at the Leo Baeck Education Center in Haifa, along with their Muslim counterparts from the El Gazali School in Um el Fahm.

What an inspiring message for us all this year at Hanukkah!  The respect for religious freedom necessitates our interacting with each other and learning about each other.  Every Spring for the past three years, I’ve been involved in a program that brings Jewish, Christian and Muslim teens together to learn more about each other.  This coming year, on April 3^rd, the Council of Churches Bridge Building Ministry will be running their Annual Youth Conference (contact info@ccgb.org to learn more).

As we light the candles each night of Hanukkah this year, think of another faith group that you wish to know more about.  Commit to reading something online (www.beliefnet.com is a wonderful resource), find a local class, visit another place of worship, invite a faith speaker into your community, or organize an interfaith dialogue program between members of your community and that of another faith.

May the light of your faith shine brightly and contribute to a more tolerant, compassionate, and loving world.

Happy Hanukkah!

This article was published this week in several local town newspapers in Fairfield County by the Hersam Acorn consortium.

Meditating on the Menorah for Chanukah

This Chanukah, I will be spending the first few days of the festival at a silent meditation retreat.  The retreat is being held at The Garrison Institute and will be led by Sylvia Boorstein and Sharon Salzberg.  It isn't specifically a retreat on the themes of Chanukah.  Rather, the focus will be on some of the central themes of meditation practice - cultivating compassion, generosity and integrity.  But for me, personally, there is a connection to the spiritual message of Chanukah.

The story of the little jar of oil that miraculously lasted for eight days instead of one is the eternal story of keeping the flame of hope alive, even in dark times.  Rabbi Akiva taught that, once the lights of the menorah in the Temple in Jerusalem could no longer be kept alight at all times, following the destruction of the 2nd temple in 70 CE, we now had to understand the commandment to keep the fires burning at all times as a metaphor for the fires of the spirit and faith within.

In Jewish tradition, we are blessed with the practice of Shabbat - a weekly opportunity to replenish our little jar of oil that can help to sustain us.  Our lives can become so busy and stressed that we fail to allow the space to just breathe and notice where we are.  To take one day, or even one hour, to simply be and reflect can help us refocus on where we are, who we are, and where we want to be in our lives.  Meditation practice is one way to create a vessel to help us to do this on a regular basis in our own lives.  Taking an extended period of time in a meditation retreat can help deepen the practice and expose us to the possibilities that the practice can reveal to us.

Many cannot afford the luxury of a 4 day retreat - this is my first in over 6 years.  For me, it is a time of re-dedication to my own spiritual practice.  Chanukah means dedication, originally referring to the re-dedication of the Temple after the Maccabees regained control of Jerusalem from the Syrian-Greeks.  For me, it is a way to keep the fires burning at all times, ensuring that they do not go out.

Below is an opportunity to bring just a little meditation into your celebrations of Chanukah this year - just 15 minutes from Rabbi Miriam Klotz, from a podcast from the Institute of Jewish Spirituality.  You can find more podcasts and meditations at their website here.

Happy Chanukah - may your light within never go out, and may you be like the shamash - the one who lights the flames within others by the things that you do and the way that you walk in the world.
Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz

	Rabbi Myriam Klotz - Chanukah Meditation .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine