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| Israel Alert Newsletter |
CHANUKAH EDITION |
26 Kislev 5774 |
November 29, 2013 |
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 Chanukah: It’s All About Saying ‘Thank You’
They say that Chanukah is the Jewish Thanksgiving. This year, Chanukah actually began on Thanksgiving Day, a very rare (but appropriate) occurrence! While each day we express our appreciation for all of life’s blessings, Chanukah is the special time for the People of Israel to celebrate and appreciate. And to say: THANK YOU!
We thank God for the awesome miracles of Chanukah that took place over 2000 years ago. For the illuminating light of the Menorah. And for the Maccabees – a small Jewish army that defeated the Greeks. But what does this have to do with the People of Israel today? Are these ancient miracles relevant in today’s modern world?
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 The Menorah: Seven Branches or Nine?
The menorah, a seven-branched candelabrum, is the oldest symbol of the Jewish religion, and a variation of it is used for the observance of Chanukah, which falls on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev. Temple Menorah This golden menorah, constructed by the Temple Institute, stands on display in the Old City of Jerusalem.
This year, the first night of the eight-day holiday fell on November 27, when Jews worldwide will begin to light the ‘chanukiah’, a modern-Hebrew word describing the candelabrum with nine branches that resembles a menorah and is used on this festival. One branch is lit on the first night, and another is added each subsequent night until the eighth, when the menorah becomes fully lit. The ninth branch in the center is used for the flame that lights the main branches. |
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 A Taste from Israel: Cookie Tins for the Holidays!
Exclusivity has a new name! A new and dynamic gourmet food company calledTaste from Israel is supporting Israel by offering exclusive kosher gourmet food products emanating from the Holy Land.
Imagine over a century ago in the holy city of Jerusalem… A young woman came up with a cookie recipe — no doubt through Divine inspiration — which had the local population each morning waiting with bated breath for just a whiff of the intoxicating aromas seeping through the cracks in the stone walls of her kitchen. |
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A Modern Day Chanukah Hero: Judith Carr
As Jews around the world celebrate Hanukkah, Jews also remember the story of Yehudit (Judith), the brave Jewish woman who contributed significantly to leading the Israelites to victory by killing off Holofernes of Assyria around the second century BCE.
However, thousands of years later, Jews should also remember another brave contemporary Judith who led the largest rescue operation of any group of Jewsby a single individual since World War II. Between the mid-1970’s and 2001, Judy Carr rescued 3,228 Syrian Jews, who were living under conditions very similar to the Nuremberg Laws during the Holocaust. |
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The Triumph of ChanukahBecause Chanukah normally occurs much later than this year, usually in December, it is sometimes thought of as the „Jewish Christmas.” It isn’t, of course. And yet it is fair to say that the reason for Chanukah’s popularity — especially in America, where it is the most widely observed Jewish holiday after Passover and Yom Kippur — is precisely its proximity to Christmas.
Chanukah has become something bigger and brighter in response to Christmas, which transforms each December into a brilliant winter festival of parties, decorations, and music.
But the real Triumph of Chanukah is a powerful message that lights up the spirit of the Jew. |
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Hanukkah Message: Be Proactive!
In an interview with United with Israel, Yitzchak Reuven, multimedia director for the Temple Institute’s international department, explained that the universal message of Hanukkah is to be proactive for the benefit of humanity rather than waiting for a miracle to occur.
Hanukkah is a celebration of two miracles. First, a small band of Jews triumphed over the powerful Syrian-Greek army. Next came the famous miracle of the oil. |
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An Important Lesson for Shabbat-ChanukahThis Shabbat is „Shabbat Chanukah” – the Shabbat that coincides with Chanukah. In addition to this week’s Torah portion, we also read an additional section of the Torah relating to Chanukah.
Chanukah celebrates the survival of the Jewish people from destruction. Spiritual destruction, that is. Unlike Haman and Hitler, Antiochus and the Syrian-Greeks had no interest in murdering the Jews physically – they wanted to murder the Jews spiritually by having them dispose of their Jewish way of life. |
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