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More from The Wandering Jew: A return to a place I visited 25 years ago, and some Jewish surprises there
A gorgeous Miami Chanukah with the Nathan family is in photos below. ??? We lit the first candle on my menorah—a gift of a T-rex from Brian; gave presents, including lots of nice little finds we picked up in Mexico; and we got ready to leave after a fun 8-night visit. It was my first Chanukah with a Jewish family, so lovely and lively.
Slideshow: click to enlarge.
Jánuka—decidedly not the Jewish Christmas—is about self-determination and survival. It’s about being proud of who you are, and that’s more important now than ever as antisemitism rises. I do worry at times that I tokenize or trivialize by having so much fun with Judaism and holidays like Chanukah. The gear and gifts—from Modern Tribe and others—are kitschy and make me super happy, and I’m a a new Jew, so I don’t want to ever give the impression that I don’t know history, traditions, and what different Jews do and believe.
I always have the history and meaning of what I’m doing on my mind, especially on the heels of events lately: a ruling on the white fascists who organized the Charlottesville marches in 2017; far right gun model K*le R*****h***e getting off; and a Jew, Eli Kay, being murdered near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Those are just a few examples, and others are below.
We light these lights for eight nights to remind us and those watching us that we are not going away.
Happy Chanukah.
×—×’ ×—× ×•×›×” שמח