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The eight-day Jewish holiday of Chanukah, that often begins in mid- or late December, starts unusually early this year – tonight.
(All Jewish holidays start in the evening.)
My wife Sara and I want to invite the community to our Chanukah Festival on Tuesday evening, 5:30, on Level 3, the Dining Terrace, at Westfield Mall Culver City. Rooftop parking is available when entering from Fox Hills Drive.
Our Chanukah Festival is free and open to all – latkes, children’s crafts, interactive music with the BeatBuds, Dreidels, chocolate gelt and more.
Chanukah celebrates how the Jews fought back against religious oppression in our own land of Israel, earned our freedom, and thanked G‑d for the miracles.
When we start lighting the Chanukah Menorah this evening, the night before Thanksgiving – both holidays can be summed up in just four words: “Thank G‑d, we’re free.”
We eat oily foods to commemorate the miracle of the small jug of oil lasting eight days in the Temple Menorah. Some eat fried potato pancakes, aka latkes, while others eat sufganiyot—deep-fried doughnuts. Some (who have good health ins.) eat both.
We give Chanukah gelt (money) to children, so that we can teach them to give some of it to charity—and to keep things festive and happy.
We play dreidel games on Chanukah to commemorate the courage of the heroic children who would start playing with dreidels (spinning tops) when the Greek oppressors came to ensure the children were not learning Torah.
The four Hebrew letters on the dreidel are an acronym for “Nes Gadol Hayah Sham”—A Great Miracle Happened There.
Wishing you a Happy Chanukah and a Happy Thanksgiving.
Please donate online at http://www.jewishcc.com
http://tinyurl.com/mp68e3m – Comment, like or share to reserve a free Chanukah gift bag.
For a Chanukah Holiday Guide, see http://www.chanukah.org
Rabbi Greisman may be contacted at rabbi@jewishcc.com
