Travel Hanukkiah/Menorah Custom: From 18th Century Germany to Today's Apps

If you think today's apps for lighting Hanukkah candles while on the go is a modern invention, you're in for a big surprise. Yes, the Jewish Museum's Light My Fire app for the iPhone is very clever, as is Menorah for Android. But considering that we are a wandering people, Jews must have developed a travel Hanukkiah/Menorah custom way before hi-tech set in.

Sure enough, they did. Have a look at this 18th century German folding menorah. It's perfect for the merchant making many sales miles. 

What prompted me to investigate this custom is a beautiful travel Hanukkiah made by the late Josef Fleischmann, father of my friend Rochelle Treister. 

Josef Fleischmann hailed from Czechoslovakia, where at the age of 14 he apprenticed as a silversmith. Josef eventually married and began to build a family. The winds of war brought him to Canada in 1939 along with his wife and two sons. Apparently economic considerations forced him to pursue other professional avenues; still, he did not abandon his love for creating beautiful and unusual silver Judaica. So, when Rochelle turned to him to create a travel Hanukkiah after airport security took apart her bag because she had an old, battered long tin Hanukkiah inside, he was more than happy to activate his creative juices and golden hands.  This is what he came up with.

On the outside it looks like an elegant pressed powder case from days of yore.  Open it up, and voila!

A tidy travel version. No student, sales person or average traveler  could ask for more.

So...hmmmm....is there a way that you can make your next craft project a travel Hanukkiah?



Hanukkah Candles Photo Credit

Hanukkah Around the World at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette, California

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Charna Schakow via email. Charna is a teacher at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette, California. She is a teacher with a mission and that mission is to introduce her students to the different traditions of Jewish communities around the world.

That certainly is up my alley! I was delighted to find out that Charna is using my book Hanukkah Around the World as one of her references, as well as this blog. What particularly thrilled me is the poster project that Charna developed around different Hanukkah traditions.

For Charna's students, getting these posters together is a Hanukkah version of playing Beat the Clock. With the time ticking during a 45-minute lesson, the students are engaged and love every second. Kol Ha'Kavod!

How does Charna do it? Read all about it in her latest blog post. In the meantime, thanks to Charna I'm able to share some of the fabulous posters her students made and give you an idea for a different approach to a Hanukkah lesson -- if not this year, then next!  And don't forget, Passover is just 5 months away. My book Passover Around the World will help you adapt Charna's project idea to your Passover curriculum.

For now, presenting some of the posters made by Charna's students. Enjoy every one.

If you have a holiday project idea that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Start Your Own Dreidel Collection

Here's a custom that will get your head spinning -- giving yourself a new dreidel every year.

That's what I do. I love collecting unusual dreidels, so much so that I had a carpenter make this wood case for my collection. I've opened the door so you can have a peek, but let me show you a few of my favorites.

I adore this colorful dreidel. It looks like it could be the prototype for a home/class arts and crafts project.

In our house, Shabbat Hanukkah has a special spin, thanks to this dual purpose dreidel that also serves as a spice box. 

Speaking of combinations -- this is the best! An all-in-one Hanukkiah/dreidel/Hamsa, the latter for extra luck in playing dreidel. 

Salt and pepper shakers for the festive Thanksgiving/Hanukkah meal? A little bud vase for the table as well? Have a look at the trio on the second shelf.

But the dreidel with the best and longest spin?

You got it. Nothing beats the old fashion wood models on top. Which leads me back to an arts and crafts project suggestion: this year's wood dreidel model with a painted turkey motif. 

It's bound to be a collector's item! 

Another oldie but goodie? Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel. Have fun listening while you make this year's model.

Shabbat: Why It's So Important

It's Friday and we're all getting ready for Shabbat. In an unusual departure from my posts on holiday customs, I am providing you with a link to a wonderful and insightful article written by Shoshana Michael Zucker, a self-educated Jewish scholar living in Kfar Saba. This article clarifies why Shabbat is a much needed day of rest, and why it is the glue that keeps the Jewish people together.

Shabbat Shalom to all.
Tami


Photo credit

From Cochin to Vancouver -- Candle Lighting Customs that Bridge Shabbat & Hanukkah

Wherever we look on the Jewish calendar we always seem to be lighting a candle or two. Shabbat candles, Havdallah candle, festival candles (e.g. Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot) and Hanukkah candles. Since Shabbat is our weekly mainstay for recharging our batteries (these days, that too is a source of light) and Hanukkah is just several weeks away, it's nice to know that some candle lighting customs bridge the two.

Less than a hundred years ago the Jews of Cochin maintained the custom of welcoming the Shabbat by lighting stone lamps called kallu vilakku located at the entrance of their homes. It wasn't the woman who lit the candle but the synagogue Gabbai. Using a torch lit from the Ner Tamid -- the Eternal Light hanging in front of the ark inside the synagogue -- he would go from house to house, lighting each lamp. What did a kallu vilakku look like? This is my hunch based on a Google search.

While this clearly is an adaptation of an Indian custom, it's the Jewish Cochin way of saying Hey, it's Shabbat!

I haven't found a Cochin Hannukiah that resembles the above, but let's examine the Hanukkiah lighting custom in the Israeli community of Meah Shearim, and as I've just discovered with this photo, the Jewish community in Vancouver.

The Hanukkiah is also found outside, positioned near the home's entrance. This custom is found in the Talmud (Shabbat 21b) where it is stated that Hanukkah lights should be placed outside the doorway of the house. In other words, a way of announcing Hey, it's Hanukkah!

My question to you: Where are you going to light candles on Shabbat Hanukkah and how are you going to connect the two?

My craft suggestion: In addition to the Hanukkiah usually made in class or at home, how about making two clay oil lamps for Shabbat candles?

Any other suggestions? Send me an email and I'll post it.


Shabbat Candles photo credit
Hanukkah candles photo credit
Kallu Vilakku photo credit
Vancouver Hanukkiah photo credit

Book Time for Experiential Learning

Even though I live (at least) 6,000 miles away, I do travel to the States every year, keep up with many of you through email, and read about Jewish educational trends. While the PEW survey is the latest talk of the town, a careful examination of the results shows that there's a direct tie-in to another discussion -- the need for experiential learning in Jewish education.

I've heard from many of you about the latter and the need for it. All I can say is: you are so right! To make a positive Jewish impact on your children/students' lives you need engaging activities.  So, please excuse me if I take a week off from posting customs or interesting news from Israel for kids, and use this opportunity to plug my books. Much more than just a library title, they are alternative textbooks for the classroom, not to mention fun books to have at home.

I'll start with the Bible.

Tasty Bible Stories offers a delicious way of bringing the Bible to life. Read each story in the book (every one is written in a breezy, hip tone) and combine it with a cooking class by whipping up the matching recipes following each tale. It's definitely a way to get your students to sink their teeth into Bible stories.



Green Bible Stories for Children brings the Bible to a different level, making it relevant to 21st century ecological concerns. From bio-diversity to noise pollution, this eye-opening book shows that even long ago the Bible provided the original blueprint for environmental protection. This book consists of eight engaging stories told in a kid-friendly fashion, each of which is followed by 2-3 relevant, easy-to-do experiments or projects.

Next on the list -- Jewish Holiday Customs

My love for holiday customs did not start with this blog.  It all began with this book.

By reading Passover Around the World together with your students/children you will be able to create an unforgettable model seder in school or family seder at home. Take a trip across the globe by reading stories dealing with playful customs created by Jewish communities from as far as Iran to as close as your own backyard in North America. Can a child in the 21st century experience what it was like for the Children of Israel? In virtual terms, yes, if you follow the traditions in this book. And don't forget the delicious recipes accompanying each custom!

Hanukkah Around the World puts a different spin on this holiday that is so often referred to as the "December Dilemma" (fortunately, not this year). Why connect Hanukkah with Ho, Ho, Ho gifts when it has a story all of its own rooted to Israeli soil? Even better -- a variety of interesting, fun-loving customs created by Jews as far away as Australia and Italy. I especially love the Italian custom because it literally ties in with Tisha B'Av -- an important memorial day that never makes it to the Jewish school curriculum because it occurs during the summer. Finally, you will have a chance to make a meaningful connection but you'll have to get the book to find out how and why. Is there a food angle as well? Yum, yum, yes, with a recipe for every story.


Family Stories -- The Glue that Binds the Jewish People

Last week a friend of mine brought up an article recently published by the New York Times. Dealing with family stories, it reinforced the importance of giving children a sense that they are part of a larger family. Family tales ground children by giving them a feeling of stability and continuity -- exactly the ingredients we Jews need for the continuity of our people. For the past six years I have been going around the United States, giving presentations on my Jewish Heirloom Stories.

Each of these books -- Lotty's Lace Tablecloth and Mayer Aaron Levi and His Lemon Tree -- deals with a specific Jewish value revolving around an unconventional heirloom and the story behind it.  My presentation on these books is one of my most popular "talks" because I give kids an assignment -- bring in a family heirloom and tell the story behind it. It's not just the kids who love doing this "homework." It's the parents as well. They are eager to tell family tales.  These books provide them with the perfect venue by offering pages at the back of each book to write down a personal story. How do I know these books are valuable additions to every child's personal library? Lotty's Lace Tablecloth was recently made a PJ Library selection.

Find out about my other books by taking a virtual book tour. Interested in a presentation on Shabbat Customs Around the World? Perhaps a virtual author visit? I offer these as well. All you have to do is contact me to get more information.

Thanks for giving me this opportunity to explain how I can be part of your experiential learning program.
Bye for now. I'll be back next week with a new holiday custom.
Kol Tuv.
Tami

Rally Round this Simchat Torah Flag Custom from Poland

An apple for Simchat Torah? Never heard of that one, but I just found out that it's the choice fruit of Polish Jews, who stick it on top of every Simchat Torah flag handed out to children.

Why an apple? No, it has nothing to do with the fact that we're getting ready to read the story of Adam and Eve (BTW: they didn't eat an apple; more likely a date). It's a metaphor for the words spoken by the Israelites when they received the Torah on Mt. Sinai (maybe we should be baking apple cake for Shavuot?) -- first we will do, then we will listen. Apparently, an apple tree bears its fruit first and then the leaves come out. In more contemporary terms we could say that for Jews, the Torah is the apple of their eye.

In short, this Polish custom proves that from Rosh Hashanah to Simchat Torah, the apple gets to the core of our being.

Chag Sameach.


Apple photo credit