A Little Boy Who Lit up His Town

A preschooler’s insistence for representation changes the holiday for season for his town. Five-year-old Brandon Rein was done. He clicked the yellow lego piece into place atop his carefully constructed menorah and sat back to survey his handiwork. His winter scene looked perfect. The houses were topped with snow, and his menorah stood tall, the […]

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The Rock from Dachau

Lighting the menorah on Shrewsbury Town Common is no easy task, but I’ve done it nearly every night of Chanukah for the past 17 years. The first night’s lighting is always well-attended, since we invite the community to participate. For the next seven days, I light it myself each day at 4pm (except Fridays 3pm […]

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Fun Chanukah Quiz!

Bring On The Light! Jewish tradition employs candle lighting to mark many important events, significant dates and Shabbat and festivals. Lighting candles is central to the observance of Chanukah. In this issue we look at Talmudic discussions that relate to light. 1. When discussing the verse in Genesis (1:16)  that G-d designated the sun as […]

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How the First Grand Public Menorah Was Born in San Francisco, 1975

On a blustery first night of Chanukah in 1975, more than 1,000 Jews crowded into San Francisco’s Union Square to witness the first giant public menorah-lighting in modern history. Forty-four years after this unprecedented show of Jewish pride and observance, some 15,000 large public menorahs will bring light to public squares, government buildings, sports arenas […]

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The start of Hanukkah in Forsyth County, in photos

Chabad Forsyth and Congregational Beth Israel celebrated the start of the Jewish festival Hanukkah on Sunday, Dec. 22, at Halcyon with an event featuring live music, performances, food and more. The festival lasts eight days and commemorates the rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees after their victory over the Syrians. This year’s Hanukkah ends […]

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Is This Chanukah Story Too Violent For Children?

The origins of most major Jewish holidays, like Passover and Purim, are recorded in the Tanach (scriptures). And for that reason, the stories of those holidays never change, no matter who’s telling them. But the same cannot be said for Chanukah: the story isn’t recorded in the Tanach, so it varies dramatically from one telling […]

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