Posts Tagged ‘Hanukkah’

While the Candles Burn

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

whilethecandlesburnIf you are looking to start a new tradition for your Hanukkah celebration then look no further than Barbara Diamond Goldin and Ekaube Greenstein’s holiday book, While the Candles Burn. This book looks beyond latkes and dreidels to create a meaningful connection to what the holiday is all about.

Eight brief stories are offered, expanding on the holiday’s themes.  Selections are drawn from the Bible, the Talmud and Jewish folklore and highlight faith in both modern and ancient times.

All the stories demonstrate faith triumphing in the struggle for personal and religious freedom.  The two most popular stories recount a lost soccer game and a forgotten lunch which play a role in an Israeli youth learning to trust his Arabic classmate. The other is a story where Leah performs a good deed to fulfill her bat mitzvah requirement by bringing a Holocaust survivor’s testimony together.

Several of the stories focus on maintaining faith in the face of persecution. The story titles from the table of contents include:

Day by day: Faith

An extra twelve: Miracles

Life is like a dreidel: Traditions

The River of Torah: Religious commitment

Shalom/Salam: Peace

The women’s reward: Honoring women

A different story: Charity

Remembering Rivka: Rededication

The most important ritual for Hanukkah revolves around creating light which is why we light the menorah. But books are a great way to “en-lighten” yourself and immerse yourself in tradition and books, such as this one, make a wonderful gift for Hanukkah.

GENRE: Short Stories

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The Ziz and the Hanukkah Miracle

Monday, December 14th, 2009


zizThe Ziz and the Hanukkah Miracle is the third in a series about the Ziz by Jacqueline Jules. The Ziz made his first appearance in 2001 in The Hardest Word: A Yom Kippur Story, a National Jewish Book Award Finalist and an Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Young Readers.  The Ziz is king of all birds, who lived long, long ago in Jewish mythology. Whenever the Ziz has a problem, he goes to Mount Sinai to seek God’s advice.

In his latest adventure, the giant yellow bird has a hard time dealing with the darkness of winter. God gives him an oil lamp, but then asks him to share it.  A task he rebels against, until he overhears a conversation in the temple.  The Maccabees are ready to rededicate the temple but there is not enough oil.  It will take 8 days to make more.

This story offers an explanation as to how God went about performing this miracle.  It is a story about sharing and that the “light” is for everyone and burns brighter when shared.

“Light! Light! A Flicker, flame, or spark. Makes my heart happy in the dark.”

Sometimes sharing with others isn’t the easiest thing to do in the world. Through the help of some unlikely small friends, a solution to the light problem is found. By sharing, his problem is solved and so is someone else’s problem. “The Ziz and the Hanukkah Miracle” is a very good book for children ages 4-8. It does an excellent job highlighting the menorah which is a big part of the Hanukkah holiday.

GENRE: Picture Book

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The Latke Who Wouldn’t Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Tomorrow begins the eight nights of Hanukkah in many homes and I am particularly excited to share with the Storybuzz readers a book first introduced to me by my brother and sister-in-law last year. What better way to begin your holiday celebrations than with a 20 page book full of illustrations by renowned illustrator Lisa brown!

latkeIn the only cottage not adorned with bright Christmas lights and decorations, a piercing scream begins the strange holiday adventure by children’s author Lemony Snicket.  The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story is a holiday fare that delicately straddles the two major events of December, Hanukkah and Christmas.

A particularly irate latke (potato pancake) who is about to be dropped into boiling oil is the star of this book, but many other holiday icons appear and even speak such as flashing colored lights, candy canes, and pine tree. Santa Claus is briefly discussed as well.

The latke, because of his inherent religious beliefs, feels left out at Christmastime and misunderstood.

“So you’re basically hash browns,” said the flashing colored lights. “Maybe you can be served alongside a Christmas ham.”
“I’m NOT hash browns.” the latke protests. “I’m something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!”

“AAAHHHHHHHH!”

Patiently, to all the latke meets, he explains that the mouth-watering smell of hot latkes reminds the people that they no longer have to study the Torah in secret caves, pretending to be gambling over a game of dreidel whenever soldiers approach.

As each Christmas symbol tries to reconcile the latke and Hanukkah holiday, Lemony Snicket sets us all straight about the silliness of seeing Hanukkah as a hash-browned version of Christmas.

“Christmas and Hanukkah are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT things!”

“But different things can often blend together,” said the pine tree.

The ultimate moral of the book, that “On a cold snowy night, everyone and everything should be welcomed somewhere” draws celebrants of both Hanukkah and Christmas in. As the book jacket claims, “The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming is hardcover, foil-stamped, and full of colorful illustrations, well-suited for giving, receiving, or clutching selfishly in trembling hands. “

GENRE: Fantasy

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