But, when I was a Christian, talking to a Rabbi, I didn't want to hear, 'Just go back to your heritage and be a good Christian.' Christianity isn't monotheism. The response has all the elements of political correctness. Miriam Levinson Philadelphia December 29, 2016 In your own way, you'll be celebrating Chanukah. Use the Torah, GвЂ‘d's message to all humankind, to find them. So find what unique truths there are about you, your family and your heritage. It says that what's divine about us is not only that which makes us the same, but much more, it's that which makes each of us different and unique. The experience we went through in the Greek Empire back then has meaning to every human being on this earth-especially in our globalized society now.

Like they say, Jews are just like everyone else, only more so. Yes, the message of Chanukah is universal. Look in your own backyard, there are plenty of truths, all you need to do is throw out the junk to find them, and then to cherish them. But then it says, now go out and be who you are. Torah provides basic laws of monotheism and human dignity for all humankind, so that we can all live together in the same playing field. Torah comes to shine light on everything in the world, to show you what is wise and meaningful there, so that you can discard the husk and enjoy the fruit. That's one thing our Ask-the-Rabbi team here at repeat over and over: Torah has a message for everyone, but it's not that you have to be Jewish. So what does it mean for you and your daughter to light a menorah? Isn't that just more of the same mushy unculture? Wouldn't it be more meaningful for you to find something of your own heritage that has real meaning for you, something you received from your parents and grandparents and want to pass on to your daughter? That public menorah is a defiant act of the modern Maccabees-as is every act to establish the unique value of the individual in the face of global McCulture. I felt that same sense of relief as when opening Google Maps and finding my own house. Wal-Mart is not friendly to tribal culture.Д«ut today I walked into a Wal-Mart and saw a ten foot menorah burning there. In Wal-Mart, you get that subliminal sense of desperate anomy, of 'do I really exist, or am I just another customer shopping in just another Wal-Mart that sells exactly the same stuff to the same people everywhere else in America?' Really, Wal-Mart and its sort truly represent the Hellenists of today, flattening and mixmasterizing everything unique and special in the colorful geo-demographics of America into a blurry, mind-numbing experience of today's favorite competitor sport, namely shopping. The place I feel Chanukah the most is in Wal-Mart. Yet, of all those ancient peoples, we alone remain, the only tribal entity to have survived into modernity. and homogenized it all into a mushy Hellenist stew which eventually became our modern world. They took all we had to offer, along with odds and ends from the Athenians, Spartans, Persians, Parthians, Armenians, Assyrians, Egyptians, etc. It says, there were these people came to our land and tried to assimilate us into their mega-culture, but we resisted and retained our identity. What does a menorah mean to me? It's a statement of who I am. But there's a deeper issue here: I wonder if for you, lighting a menorah might have exactly the opposite meaning that it has for me. Well, first of all, it sounds like a bit of a fire hazard. I hadn't realized the question can be reversed. Interesting-usually we get letters asking if it's okay to have a tree next to the menorah. We already have an Xmas tree, is okay to light a menorah next to it? Tickets are ВЈ25 which buys youВ hot food by Habiba's Deli, an open bar, menorah lighting, table tennis, snooker and games.My daughter attends a private school where there are many Jewish children.

This event for young professionals is organised by Chabad of West Hampstead, Centre for Jewish Life and Chabad of Kentish-Camden Town. Where:В Atrium Camden, 407 Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 8AH Tickets costВ ВЈ20 to watch the show in the building or ВЈ5 to watch online. Recorded in London, Berlin and Tel Aviv, the songs combine klezmer, reggae, electronica, hip hop, tango, pop and other genres. Multi-instrumentalist Erran Barron Cohen will be performing a live version of his albumВ Songs in the Key of Hanukkah. Where: JW3,В 341-351 Finchley Road, London NW3 6ET Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of lights - Credit: Jeremy FreedmanД®rran Barron Cohen Concert, West Hampstead

Light my menorah