Hannukah

Hannukah,In what is increasingly being seen as a holiday power play, Barack Obama’s Jewish dissenters and some in the Jewish media are using the upcoming Hanukkah holiday as a way to reassert their considerable influence on the President. Today Michelle Obama and Barack Obama will light the first candle and on December 16th they will hold a holiday celebration for 400. Whose to blame for the friction, that’s the hard part and one that many are trying to decipher.

There is danger of being misunderstood on both sides as an Obama White House seeks to dispel some of the rumors of his administrations unusually strong ties in the Jewish community, the Black caucus put an exclamation point on it last week  when they accused Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel of poor communication between themselves and the President. Is Emanuel watering down the message  the Black Caucus wants to convey to the President?

The other side of the coin is Israel. It is no secret that Barack Obama’s administration and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been on different pages recently and the ice has yet to thaw. Israel’s parliament has given preliminary approval to legislation that would require a national referendum on any peace deal that gives up control of east Jerusalem or the Golan Heights. If approved, the law could constrain a future Israeli government’s ability to turn over captured land as part of a peace arrangement.

This comes as Barack Obama is facing increased pressure from the U.N. over possible Israeli human rights violations. Investigators reporting to the United Nations Human Rights Council Monday enumerated a number of human rights violations committed by Israel during its Gaza incursion, including the specific targeting of occupied civilian homes and the use of children as human shields.

Is this Obama’s way of distancing himself?  The invitations with no mention of Hanukkah, the party down sized this year from 800 to 400.  Sounds to me like the message is clear.

President Obama is dealing with what every President must eventually deal with in the back of their mind. Thoughts of legacy and how they will be remembered creep into their thoughts from the moment they are sworn in. Barack Obama is his own man and it has taken some in the jewish community a little longer than others to realize that.

At the heart of the matter is the fact that the middle east in not really in the middle of things like it used to be. From a geopolitical stand point Isreal is not as sexy as it once was to the U.S. foreign policy play book, although still crucial to stability in the region, the U.S. focus has moved farther East to countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. With Afghanistan having the potential to be the buffer state of the future if they play their cards right, Israel’s days of getting no questions asked preferential treatment in the middle east may be over. It may be time for Israel to try harder to work with their Arab cousins in the region.

It’s going to be awhile before the Israeli government comes out of the ether they’ve been under during the past  2 U.S. administrations  and realize the geopolitical ramifications, the U.S. is stretched out on two war fronts. Anything more on the plate would be an instant political liability, no matter how close we are to the country. The European Union has not helped the middle east situation either.

Years of receiving the very best in U.S. weapons and technology have eroded the Israeli’s diplomatic skills. The Obama administrations relationship with Israel is very valuable, but it’s not for sale. Israeli extremists, the phrase has not caught on yet but it might.

Happy Hanukkah

Happy Hanukkah:I like Hanukkah. It’s a very nice holiday, as Jewish holidays go; one of the few where the Jews actually won, as opposed to having the Temple destroyed, or fleeing the divided sea, or being spared from the evil Haman. Usually, it’s enough if we survive. Often, we don’t even do that.

Jewish holidays are, as I learned growing up, very much about what you don’t get to eat — anything (Yom Kippur) or anything leavened (Passover) — and what you don’t get to do; about long services and endless sermons and not embarrassing your mother by being seen at the mall.

Hanukkah, by contrast, is not about death and dying. Start with that. You can go to the mall. You get presents. It’s not about sin. You can eat and drink. Better yet, the official food of Hanukkah is oil, which means eating fried foods is a form of celebration. Jelly doughnuts and fried potato pancakes are the two official foods of Hanukkah. How could you not like this holiday?

But it’s not Christmas. Hanukkah is what rabbis call a minor Jewish holiday, even if it’s celebrated as the Second Coming by a lot of folks I know. That’s my problem. Why do we feel we need to turn a little holiday into an alternative Christmas?

Believe me, I’m as much to blame for this as the next person. For years, I’ve patted myself on the back for not having a tree or a wreath or stockings or anything else that would suggest we are celebrating the birth of another religion’s savior. Christmas, I have taught my children and my parents taught me, is not “our” holiday. It is a religious holiday. We are not Christian, so we do not celebrate Christmas. How easy it sounds.

Some years ago, when I had a radio show, I interviewed a rabbi around this time of year, and his message was absolutely unequivocal: If you want your grandchildren to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the holiest days of the Jewish year, then you can’t have a Christmas tree for your kids. It only takes a generation to lose religious identity. Kids who grow up celebrating Christmas raise kids who don’t celebrate anything else. He had no doubt.

I couldn’t help but laugh. As a kid, I hated Christmas. I was so completely and totally jealous of my Christian friends who celebrated this magical holiday and exchanged big gifts that I would get depressed every Christmas season. I was even jealous of my Jewish friends who got trees and dreidels, Santa and Hanukkah. At my house, like the rabbis said, we had a “minor” holiday.

But it worked on me. On me, at least, the rabbi was right. I could never have a tree in my house. My kids would never even ask. We have dinner at our friend’s house, but we don’t “do” Christmas. How could we, when I’ve spent so many years overdoing Hanukkah?

Like many parents, I have bent over backward every year to try to make sure my children do not feel shortchanged at this time of year because they are Jewish. How absurd, as if not getting gifts is the biggest downside of this tribe. I am being funny, but just a little. While I’ve been congratulating myself for not doing the tree, I’ve done almost everything else.

Sorry, kids, but I think I’m finally figuring this one out. I wish my Christian friends a very, very merry Christmas. And to my Jewish readers, hey, happy little Hanukkah. It’s a little holiday, but it’s good enough.

To find out more about Susan Estrich and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Hannukah 2009

Hannukah 2009:The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah (or Chanukah) is being celebrated from the sunset of December 11 to the sunset of December 19 this year. The holiday is part of the non-Christmas December festivities and commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. The word “Hanukkah” derives from the verb “to dedicate.” For millions of Jews around the world, the eight days of Hanukkah is an occasion to reconnect with their families and celebrate their cultural and religious heritage. The essential part of any Hannukah celebration is the Hanukkah feast accompanied by prayers and the lighting of Hanukkah candles (or menorah) every night for eight days.

The centerpieces of a traditional Hanukkah dinner are latkes and sufganiyot. Historically, Hanukkah has been closely associated with the miracle of oil — the Maccabees successfully rebelled against Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The Temple was purified and the wicks of the menorah miraculously burned for eight days, even though there was only enough sacred oil for one day’s lighting. No wonder that an important aspect of the Hanukkah celebrations is cooking meals and foods fried in oil. Latkes (or Livivot) are potato pancakes that are prepared by frying them in oil. The sufganiyots are another yummy Hanukkah tradition — these are jam-filled deep-fried doughnuts. Dairy products are also quite popular during Hanukkah.

The traditional recipe for latkes is:

1. Grate four large potatoes and one onion.

2. Separately, mix one egg, salt, pepper, 1 tsp of flour and baking powder. Add potato and onions, and mix well.

3. Into heated oil in the pan, place spoonfuls of potato mixture.

4. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crisp. Drain.

5. Serve with cream.

The sufganiyots are made like this:

1. Combine 25 grams of yeast, one tbsp of sugar and water. Mix well, cover until the dough rises. In another bowl, mix 3 cups of flour with 50 grams of melted margarine, salt, sugar and two egg yolks. Combine the yeast mixture with the flour mixture. Slowly add water while stirring. When batter is smooth, cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit and rise.

2. To make the doughnuts: After the batter has risen, pour it onto a floured surface and roll it out. Use a glass with a small opening to cut out circles of the dough. Place a drop of jelly in the middle of each circle, and then cover with another circle of dough. Make sure that two circles attach well to form a closed ball with jelly in the middle.

3. To fry the doughnuts: Heat oil in a deep pot until very hot. Drop the doughnuts into the oil and fry on both sides until brown.

The traditional Hanukkah menu also includes brisket or chicken, parve side dishes, cheese, pretzels, tongue, marshmellow dreidels and kugel.