Edot: Getting Ready for Hanuka

This week we completed our Hanuka unit of study. One of the most important lessons the Talmudic era rabbis wanted to teach future Jewish generations was the idea that a minority culture such as our own can live side by side with a majority culture, yet still hold true to our beliefs. We should never have to fight for our beliefs again - "not by might, and not by power, but by spirit alone shall we all live in peace" (verse from Debbie Friedman song based on a passage in the Book of Zecharia). The story of the miracle of the oil created by the Rabbis about 500 years after the events of the Hanuka story took place, was intended to drive home this message. They decided not to include the Books of the Maccabees (with their recounting of the atrocities committed by both sides during the Maccabean Revolt) in the Hebrew Bible (they are found in the Catholic Bible). Instead, they left us with the story of the miracle of the oil, hoping that future Jewish generations would never resort to fighting in order to maintain our identity and independence.

As we are learning in our Edot studies, this is what the majority of edot have done - learned to live side by side with non-Jewish neighbors, borrowing from the various cultures, yet always maintaining a strong Jewish identity. During our week day sessions, we took a close look at how our own American edah has borrowed elements of the American culture, giving them a Jewish twist to celebrate, in this case, the Hanuka story.

I shared four YouTube videos in class, and asked the students to identify American cultural elements in each. First, we watched Maccabeats' "Candlelight" song, followed by Sesame Street's "Hanukkah with Veronica Monica" , Adam Sandler's Original Hanukka Song Video , and finally Nefesh B'Nefesh's Hanukkah Flash Mob . See if you can spot American influences in each. The students were surprised at how many there were!

On Sunday, we met for only one session to allow families to participate in the Women of Isaiah's Hanuka Party immediately after. During the session, we read two chapters in "The Storyteller's Beads," enjoyed the Shekel Game (a review game that we play at the end of each unit of study), learned English, Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ladino Hanuka songs with Joel Siegel, and practiced our Hebrew Through Movement Hanuka vocabulary. There won't be any classes this coming week, so we can all celebrate "Thanksgivukkah" with friends and family. We'll be back in class on Tuesday, December 3rd and Wednesday, December 4th for our annual "Bring-A-Friend Days."

Enjoy these photos from Sunday's session: