The Art of Hanukkah

It’s known as the Festival of Light and is a Jewish Holiday that falls close to Christmas. 

According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica “Hanukkah, (Hebrew: “Dedication”)also spelled Ḥanukka, Chanukah, or Chanukkah, also called Feast of Dedication, Festival of Lights, or Feast of the Maccabees, Jewish festival  that begins on Kislev 25 (in December, according to the Gregorian Calendar) and is celebrated for eight days. Hanukkah reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and commemorates, in particular, the rededication of the second temple of Jerusalem by the lighting of candles on each day of the festival.”

I’m not Jewish- but I am. My ancestry is Jewish but my parents raised me and my brothers as protestant. They feared repercussions to us being raised in the Jewish faith.  They did not want us to experience the prejudice they experienced as children. My true heritage was revealed when I was 12.  (You can read about my story here on page 29)  I was saddened to have been denied my native culture because of fear.

 I do not have a menorah.  I am fairly illiterate on Jewish culture but tonight on the first day of Hanukkah for 2018 I lit a tea light candle and said the ritual Jewish blessings. Really, I lit the candle for all people who suffer racism, homophobia, misogyny and all other forms of discrimination and also for the people who inflict those ideas.  May they see the light.  People should have the freedom to practice their religion, have their true sexual orientation and have equal rights no matter what race or gender.

 Let the light of  who you truly are

Shine bright

And may the world

Embrace you