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Israel Alert Newsletter
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CHANUKAH EDITION
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26 Kislev 5774
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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 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 falls 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 called
Taste 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 Hanukkah Hero:
Yehudit (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
Jews by 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 Chanukah
Because Chanukah usually occurs 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 used to be regarded as a minor half-holiday, cheerful but low-key. It
has become something bigger and brighter in response to Christmas, which
transforms each December into a brilliant winter festival of parties,
decorations, and music.
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Hanukkah Message from the Temple Institute: 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-Chanukah
This 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, Hitler, and Ahmadinejad,
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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