New Spin on Chanukah

Jewish Woman magazine
Winter issue 2008

		A New Spin on Chanukah By Meredith Jacobs My parents no longer light the Chanukah menorah. "Why bother?" explained my mother. "You and your sister are no longer home. It’s just me and Daddy. Why should we bother? Chanukah is for kids." Wow. I thought about that. I don’t think Chanukah is just for kids. I don’t want Chanukah to be just for kids. I want to imagine that one day, when Sofie and Jules are grown and have families of their own, Jonathan and I will still light the candles. (Of course, what I really want is for my future grandchildren to all live close enough to us that we light the candles with them, but that’s not the point.) The point is, what does happen to Chanukah when kids aren’t around? How can I make Chanukah meaningful to me ...As Lisa Alcalay Klug, author of Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe (Andrews McMeel), puts it, "It’s really about being comfortable in your own skin, knowing where you come from and expressing pride in who you are." Klug, like Schwimmer, celebrates Chanukah kitsch in the Heebster-chic style in which many young Jews today own their Jewishness. Kitsch becomes cool and Chanukah hip. (more)