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Day April – September 2013
This celebration of Dia de los Muertos is the first of many planned and presented by Village Montessori PTO’s fabulous committee – Go Global!
Go Global!’s mission is to assist Village Montessori in fostering a global and diverse environment.
Details on how your child and your whole family may participate in this wonderful ceremony will be placed into your child’s class folder.
Chanukkah
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Significance: Remembers the rededication of the Temple after it was defiled by the Greeks
Observances: Lighting candles Length: 8 days Customs: eating fried foods; playing with a dreidel (top) |
On the 25th of Kislev are the days of Chanukkah, which are eight… these were appointed a Festival with Hallel [prayers of praise] and thanksgiving. -Shabbat 21b, Babylonian Talmud
Chanukkah, the Jewish festival of rededication, also known as the festival of lights, is an eight day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev.
Chanukkah is probably one of the best known Jewish holidays, not because of any great religious significance, but because of its proximity to Christmas. Many non-Jews (and even many assimilated Jews!) think of this holiday as the Jewish Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas customs, such as elaborate gift-giving and decoration. It is bitterly ironic that this holiday, which has its roots in a revolution against assimilation and the suppression of Jewish religion, has become the most assimilated, secular holiday on our calendar.
The Story
The story of Chanukkah begins in the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs and the dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society.
More than a century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in theTemple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasidim, the forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct connection to the modern movement known as Chasidism). They joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation of the Hellenistic Jews and oppression by the Seleucid Greek government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple was rededicated.
According to tradition as recorded in the Talmud, at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle. Note that the holiday commemorates the miracle of the oil, not the military victory: Jews do not glorify war.
Traditions
Our rabbis taught the rule of Chanukkah: … on the first day one [candle] is lit and thereafter they are progressively increased … [because] we increase in sanctity but do not reduce. -Shabbat 21b, Babylonian Talmud
Chanukkah is not a very important religious holiday. The holiday’s religious significance is far less than that of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, and Shavu’ot. It is roughly equivalent to Purim in significance, and you won’t find many non-Jews who have even heard of Purim! Chanukkah is not mentioned inJewish scripture; the story is related in the book of Maccabees, which Jews do not accept as scripture.
The only religious observance related to the holiday is the lighting of candles. The candles are arranged in a candelabrum called a menorah (or sometimes called a chanukkiah) that holds nine candles: one for each night, plus a shammus (servant) at a different height. On the first night, one candle is placed at the far right. The shammus candle is lit and threeberakhot (blessings) are recited: l’hadlik neir (a general prayer over candles), she-asah nisim (a prayer thanking G-d for performing miracles for our ancestors at this time), and she-hekhianu (a general prayer thanking G-d for allowing us to reach this time of year). See Chanukkah Candle Lighting Blessings for the full text of these blessings. After reciting the blessings, the first candle is then lit using the shammus candle, and the shammus candle is placed in its holder. Candles can be lit any time after dark but before midnight. The candles are normally allowed to burn out on their own after a minimum of 1/2 hour, but if necessary they can be blown out at any time after that 1/2 hour. On Shabbat, Chanukkah candles are normally lit before the Shabbat candles, but may be lit any time before candlelighting time (18 minutes before sunset). Candles cannot be blown out on Shabbat (it’s a violation of the sabbath rule against igniting or extinguishing a flame). Because the Chanukkah candles must remain burning until a minimum of 1/2 hour after dark (about 90 minutes total burning time on Shabbat), some Chanukkah candles won’t get the job done. On one of the earlier nights, you might want to make sure your candles last long enough. If they don’t, you might want to use something else for Chanukkah on Shabbat, such as tea lights or even Shabbat candles.
Each night, another candle is added from right to left (like theHebrew language). Candles are lit from left to right (because you pay honor to the newer thing first). On the eighth night, all nine candles (the 8 Chanukkah candles and the shammus) are lit. See animation at right for the candlelighting procedure. On nights after the first, only the first two blessings are recited; the third blessing, she-hekhianu is only recited on the first night of holidays.
Why the shammus candle? The Chanukkah candles are for pleasure only; we are not allowed to use them for any productive purpose. We keep an extra one around (the shammus), so that if we need to do something useful with a candle, we don’t accidentally use the Chanukkah candles. The shammus candle is at a different height so that it is easily identified as the shammus.
It is traditional to eat fried foods on Chanukkah because of the significance of oil to the holiday. Among Ashkenazic Jews, this usually includes latkes (pronounced “lot-kuhs” or “lot-keys” depending on where your grandmother comes from. Pronounced “potato pancakes” if you are a goy.) My recipe is included later in this page.
Gift-giving is not a traditional part of the holiday, but has been added in places where Jews have a lot of contact with Christians, as a way of dealing with our children’s jealousy of their Christian friends. It is extremely unusual for Jews to give Chanukkah gifts to anyone other than their own young children. The only traditional gift of the holiday is “gelt,” small amounts of money.
Another tradition of the holiday is playing dreidel, a gambling game played with a square top. Most people play for matchsticks, pennies, M&Ms or chocolate coins. The traditional explanation of this game is that during the time of Antiochus’ oppression, those who wanted to study Torah (an illegal activity) would conceal their activity by playing gambling games with a top (a common and legal activity) whenever an official or inspector was within sight.
A dreidel is marked with four Hebrew letters: Nun, Gimel, Hei and Shin. These letters stand for the Hebrew phrase “Nes Gadol Hayah Sham”, a great miracle happened there, referring to the miracle of the oil.
The letters also stand for the Yiddish words nit (nothing), gantz (all), halb (half) and shtell (put), which are the rules of the game! There are some variations in the way people play the game, but the way I learned it, everyone puts in one coin. A person spins the dreidel. If it lands on Nun, nothing happens; on Gimel (or, as we called it as kids, “gimme!”), you get the whole pot; on Hei, you get half of the pot; and on Shin, you put one in. When the pot is empty, everybody puts one in. Keep playing until one person has everything. Then redivide it, because nobody likes a poor winner.
You can play a virtual dreidel game here! Requires JavaScript.
Chanukkah Music
Ma’oz Tzur (Rocky Fortress)  The lyrics of this song date back to approximately the 13th century C.E. It is believed to be written by a man named Mordecai, because that name is encrypted in the first letters of the five stanzas. The music dates back to at least the 18th century, and possibly as far back as the 15th century. Most people are only familiar with the first stanza, which is reproduced below. This very literal translation is not what most people are used to seeing (it is usually translated as “Rock of Ages”). |
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| Rocky Fortress of my Salvation It is delightful to praise You Restore my House of Prayer And there we will give thanks with an offering When you have prepared the slaughter for the blaspheming foe Then I will complete with a song of hymn the dedication of the altar Then I will complete with a song of hymn the dedication of the altar |
Ma’oz tzur y’shuati L’kha na-eh l’shabei-ach Tikon beyt t’filati V’sham todah n’zabei-ach L’eit tachin matbei-ach Mitzar ha-m’nabei-ach Az egmor b’shir mizmor Chanukat ha-mizbei-ach Az egmor b’shir mizmor Chanukat ha-mizbei-ach |
| A less literal but more singable translation: | |
| Rock of Ages, let our song, Praise Thy saving power Thou amidst the raging foes, Wast our sheltering tower Furious they assailed us, But Thine arm availed us And thy word broke their sword, When our own strength failed us. And thy word broke their sword, When our own strength failed us. |
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| Mi Y’maleil? (Who Can Retell?) Although the translation is not quite literal, it’s the closest thing to a literal translation I’ve been able to find. For some reasons, this popular Chanukkah song is usually translated with great liberties. |
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| Who can tell of the feats of Israel Who can count them? In every age a hero arose to save the people. Who can tell of the feats of Israel Who can count them? In every age a hero arose to save the people. Hear! In those days at this time |
Mi y’malel g’vurot Yisrael Otan mi yimneh? Hein b’khol dor yakum hagibor, go-el ha-am. Mi yemalel g’vurot Yisra-el Otan mi yimneh? Hen b’khol dor yakum hagibor, go-el ha-am. Sh’ma! Ba-yamim ha-heim ba-z’man hazeh |
| A popular less literal but more singable translation: | |
| Who can retell the things that befell us, who can count them? In every age a hero or sage came to our aid Who can retell the things that befell us, who can count them? In every age a hero or sage came to our aid Hear! In days of yore in Israel’s ancient land |
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| Chanukkah, Oh Chanukkah There are many variations on this popular Chanukkah tune. I’ve provided singable versions in both English and Yiddish. The lyrics of these two versions don’t really correspond to each other, but both versions speak of the fun of the secular trappings of the holiday, with slight reference to the religious aspects. |
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| Chanukkah, Oh Chanukkah Come light the menorah Let’s have a party We’ll all dance the hora Gather round the table, we’ll have a treat Shiny tops to play with, latkes to eat And while we are playing |
Chanukkah, O Chanukkah A yontev a sheyner A lustiger a freylicher Nito noch azoyner Ale nacht in dreydl shpiln mir Zudigheyse latkes esn mir Geshvinder tsindt kinder |
And no list of Chanukkah songs would be complete without a link to the Maccabeats’ brilliant music video, Candlelight, a parody of Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite” that tells the story of Chanukkah. The Maccabeats are an a cappella group fromYeshiva University, so you know they’ll get all the details right!
Recipe for Latkes
Makes approximately 12 palm-sized latkes
- 4 medium potatoes
- 1 medium onion
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup matzah meal (flour or bread crumbs can be substituted)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. each salt and black pepper (more or less to taste)
- vegetable oil
Shred the potatoes and onion into a large bowl. Press out all excess liquid.(if using a food processor, use the chopping blade for 2 or 3 seconds after pressing out liquid to avoid stringy fly-aways). Add eggs and mix well. Add matzah meal gradually while mixing until the batter is doughy, not too dry. (you may not need the whole amount, depending on how well you drained the veggies). Add the baking powder, salt and pepper and mix well. (don’t taste the batter — it’s really gross!). Don’t worry if the batter turns a little orange; that will go away when it fries.
Heat about 1/2 inch of oil to medium-high heat. Form the batter into thin patties about the size of your palm. Fry batter in oil. Be patient: this takes time, and too much flipping will burn the outside without cooking the inside. Flip when the bottom is golden brown.
Place finished latkes on paper towels to drain. Eat hot with sour cream or applesauce. They reheat OK in a microwave, but not in an oven unless you cook them just right.
If you’d like to try something a little different, add some bell peppers, parsley, carrots, celery, or other vegetables to the batter to make veggie latkes! You may need to add a third egg and some more matzah meal for this. For a zesty twist, add some diced jalepeño peppers to the batter! This should definitely be served with sour cream!
I have put a video on YouTube that illustrates some hard-to-describe aspects of latke making: how deep to make the oil, how to tell when the oil is ready, how to tell when the latkes are ready to flip and so forth.
Time-saving substitutions:
Grocery stores now provide many time-saving options for cooking. The substitutions below will save you time in preparing the batter and cleaning up. Sorry, nothing I can do to speed the frying time. You can substitute any or all of these:
- Substitute 3 cups hash-brown style shredded potatoes for the potatoes (Simply Potatoes brand works well and is kosher-certified)
- Substitute 1 cup frozen chopped onions (thawed and drained) for the onion
- Substitute 1/2 cup egg whites from a carton for the eggs
List of Dates
Chanukkah will occur on the following days of the secular calendar:
- Jewish Year 5773: sunset December 8, 2012 – nightfall December 16, 2012
(first candle: night of 12/8; last candle: night of 12/15) - Jewish Year 5774: sunset November 27, 2013 – nightfall December 5, 2013
(first candle: night of 11/27; last candle: night of 12/4) - Jewish Year 5775: sunset December 16, 2014 – nightfall December 24, 2014
(first candle: night of 12/16; last candle: night of 12/23) - Jewish Year 5776: sunset December 6, 2015 – nightfall December 14, 2015
(first candle: night of 12/6; last candle: night of 12/13) - Jewish Year 5777: sunset December 24, 2016 – nightfall January 1, 2017
(first candle: night of 12/24; last candle: night of 12/31)
SOURCE: jewfaq.org
Yom Kippur is probably the most important holiday of the Jewish year. Many Jews who do not observe any other Jewish custom will refrain from work, fast and/or attend synagogue services on this day. Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of Tishri. The holiday is instituted at Leviticus 23:26 et seq.
The name “Yom Kippur” means “Day of Atonement,” and that pretty much explains what the holiday is. It is a day set aside to “afflict the soul,” to atone for the sins of the past year. In Days of Awe, I mentioned the “books” in which G-d inscribes all of our names. On Yom Kippur, the judgment entered in these books is sealed. This day is, essentially, your last appeal, your last chance to change the judgment, to demonstrate your repentance and make amends.
As I noted in Days of Awe, Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and G-d, not for sins against another person. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible. That must all be done before Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is a complete Sabbath; no work can be performed on that day. It is well-known that you are supposed to refrain from eating and drinking (even water) on Yom Kippur. It is a complete, 25-hour fast beginning before sunset on the evening before Yom Kippur and ending after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur. The Talmud also specifies additional restrictions that are less well-known: washing and bathing, anointing one’s body (with cosmetics, deodorants, etc.), wearing leather shoes (Orthodox Jews routinely wear canvas sneakers under their dress clothes on Yom Kippur), and engaging in sexual relations are all prohibited on Yom Kippur.
As always, any of these restrictions can be lifted where a threat to life or health is involved. In fact, children under the age of nine and women in childbirth (from the time labor begins until three days after birth) are not permitted to fast, even if they want to. Older children and women from the third to the seventh day after childbirth are permitted to fast, but are permitted to break the fast if they feel the need to do so. People with other illnesses should consult a physician and a rabbi for advice.
Most of the holiday is spent in the synagogue, in prayer. In Orthodox synagogues, services begin early in the morning (8 or 9 AM) and continue until about 3 PM. People then usually go home for an afternoon nap and return around 5 or 6 PM for the afternoon and evening services, which continue until nightfall. The services end at nightfall, with the blowing of the tekiah gedolah, a long blast on the shofar. See Rosh Hashanah for more about the shofar and its characteristic blasts.
It is customary to wear white on the holiday, which symbolizes purity and calls to mind the promise that our sins shall be made as white as snow (Is. 1:18). Some people wear a kittel, the white robe in which the dead areburied.
Yom Kippur Liturgy
Yom Kippur has its own candlelighting blessing. If the holiay coincides with Shabbat, the words in parentheses are added:
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| Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik neir shel (shabbat v’shel) you hakippurim. |
After the candles are lit, the Shehecheyanuprayer is recited.
The evening service that begins Yom Kippur is commonly known as Kol Nidre, named for the prayer that begins the service. “Kol nidre” means “all vows,” and in this prayer, we ask G-d to annul all personal vows we may make in the next year. It refers only to vows between the person making them and G-d, such as “If I pass this test, I’ll pray every day for the next 6 months!”
This prayer has often been held up by anti-Semites as proof that Jews are untrustworthy (we do not keep our vows), and for this reason the Reform movement removed it from the liturgy for a while. In fact, the reverse is true: we make this prayer because we take vows so seriously that we consider ourselves bound even if we make the vows under duress or in times of stress when we are not thinking straight. This prayer gave comfort to those who were converted to Christianity by torture in various inquisitions, yet felt unable to break their vow to follow Christianity. In recognition of this history, the Reform movement restored this prayer to its liturgy.
There are many additions to the regular liturgy. Perhaps the most important addition is the confession of the sins of the community, which is inserted into the Shemoneh Esrei (Amidah) prayer. Note that all sins are confessed in the plural (we have done this, we have done that), emphasizing communal responsibility for sins.
There are two basic parts of this confession: Ashamnu, a shorter, more general list (we have been treasonable, we have been aggressive, we have been slanderous…), and Al Chet, a longer and more specific list (for the sin we sinned before you forcibly or willingly, and for the sin we sinned before you by acting callously…) Frequent petitions for forgiveness are interspersed in these prayers. There’s also a catch-all confession: “Forgive us the breach of positive commands and negative commands, whether or not they involve an act, whether or not they are known to us.”
It is interesting to note that these confessions do not specifically address the kinds of ritual sins that some people think are the be-all-and-end-all of Judaism. There is no “for the sin we have sinned before you by eating pork, and for the sin we have sinned against you by driving on Shabbat” (though obviously these are implicitly included in the catch-all). The vast majority of the sins enumerated involve mistreatment of other people, most of them by speech (offensive speech, scoffing, slander, talebearing, and swearing falsely, to name a few). These all come into the category of sin known as “lashon ha-ra” (lit: the evil tongue), which is considered a very serious sin in Judaism.
The concluding service of Yom Kippur, known as Ne’ilah, is one unique to the day. It usually runs about 1 hour long. The ark (a cabinet where the scrolls of the Torah are kept) is kept open throughout this service, thus you must stand throughout the service. There is a tone of desperation in the prayers of this service. The service is sometimes referred to as the closing of the gates; think of it as the “last chance” to get in a good word before the holiday ends. The service ends with a very long blast of the shofar. See Rosh Hashanah for more about the shofar and its characteristic blasts.
After Yom Kippur, one should begin preparing for the next holiday, Sukkot, which begins five days later.
SOURCE: jewishvirtuallibrary.org
In today’s modern world stepfamilies are everywhere! Which is why Christy Borgeld founded the day now celebrated every year for the past sixteen years!
Did you know that one in three American citizens live in a stepfamily and 30% of children are currently growing up in a stepfamily?
According to a study it can take several years for a child to form a bond with a stepfather or mother. But once that bond is formed it can be fantastic! I have a friend who considers himself just as close (if not closer) to his stepdad!
However it’s not always a walk in the park to begin with. The children involved can get jealous of the attention their parent is spending on the step-parent to begin with. Stepbrothers and sisters can also sometimes be part of the deal …
And having a new step-parent suggests the family has previously been through a divorce. Divorce is a huge ordeal for any family to go through and can take a lot of adjusting to the new changes.
For a while there can be feelings of hostility, jealousy and guilt flying around the house – not a healthy environment for anyone to be living in!
Did you know that another term for stepfamilies are blended family? Because that’s what happens! Current members of the family mix with new members until they become comfortable and happy with each other!
And, there are special blended family ceremonies that can be arranged? Because it’s not just about the merging of the bride and groom – but all the other family members at once! For more info, go to the Blended Family Ceremony.
On the National Step Family Day website there is lots of great information and there are also pages available that focus on different aspects of the stepfamily. For example, stepdads have a page of their own!
Support forums and numbers that allow you to call someone if you’re struggling with the new reality of being in a step-family are available too.
This National Step Family Day why not ask the rest of the family to spend the day together? That means getting out of the house and into the outdoors, or do something else fun brings you together for the day and sees you focusing on each other. Good luck!
SOURCE: national-awareness-days.com
“It is not enough to teach children how to read, write and count. Education has to cultivate mutual respect for others and the world in which we live, and help people forge more just, inclusive and peaceful societies.”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
100-day countdown message to the International Day of Peace
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.
The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by resolution 36/67
of the United Nations General Assembly to coincide with its opening session, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September. The first Peace Day was observed in September 1982.
In 2001, the General Assembly by unanimous vote adopted resolution 55/282, which established 21 September as an annual day of non-violence and cease-fire.
The United Nations invites all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities during the Day, and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace.
SOURCE: un.org
We need Village Montessori volunteers for this event! If you’re able to come by our booth – which will be located directly across from Acadia Restaurant and Delta Trust where all of the kids activities are taking place – please do! Bring your children, bring your spouses, bring whomever you’d like! We’ll have some fun, easy, Fall-ish crafts for the kids and provide you with good cheer while you’re visiting. Thanks so much, and we hope to see you there!
With grace and courtesy,
Your Village Montessori Family
501.944.4483