EIGHT IDEAS ON CELEBRATING HANUKKAH IN A PANDEMIC
I proffer some COVID-19-weary Jewish motherly advice to those celebrating Hanukkah this year. Hanukkah honors the miraculous (if minor) event of a small vessel of oil illuminating the Second Temple in Jerusalem for eight nights 2,000 years ago. Here’s my 2020 tip sheet:
1) Celebrate Hanukkah safely at home like never before: We desperately need light in the midst of this tragic, dark winter as one American dies of COVID-19 every 30 seconds.
Bust out your menorahs and splurge on slow-burning candles. Shine with hope.
2) Focus on the miraculous. The miracles of modern science and global cooperation have produced multiple vaccines that will enable most of us to be vaccinated by late summer or fall of 2021. I heard Dr. Anthony Fauci say live theater will be possible again next fall. Envision seeing a revival of “Fiddler on the Roof ” and belting out “L’chaim to life.”
3) Eat healthy. Hanukkah involves gorging on fried food — like latkes (crispy potato pancakes pan-seared in oil) and sufganiyot ( jelly-filled, powdered sugar-coated doughnuts). However, these celebratory delicacies aren’t the healthiest eats for warding off COVID-19. How about binging on chocolate gelt (coins) instead? Chocolate is a natural anti-depressant packed with antioxidants to boost your immune system. Plus, you can use the gelt to play dreidel (a Hanukkah game involving a spinning top with Hebrew letters) and then consume your loot — a win-win.
4) Sadly, multifamily Hanukkah parties must be considered a definite don’t this year. Ergo, we must find other ways to celebrate with our extended loved ones.
Please don’t groan/roll eyes when I mention Zoom — it’s the best form of connection we’ve got. Think of some Zoomable Hanukkah activities to do together — like lighting candles in unison, singing songs, dancing the hora. Anything that lifts your family’s mood. Whatever you do, keep it short. We’re all fatigued from staring at our screens and screaming “Unmute yourself ” at friends and family.
5) Circling back to food — try learning how to cook a new dish. Watch a YouTube video or hire a cooking instructor to Zoom in. Middle Eastern cuisine is all the rage and slots right into Hanukkah menus. How about mastering the art of homemade hummus or the complexities of concocting shakshuka, a spicy tomato and egg-based dish? If you haven’t tried it, please do — it’s delish.
6) Skip the eight nights of gifts. Our kids don’t need that much stuff ever; particularly not this year when so many people are suffering financially, emotionally and physically. Research charities with your kiddos (Charity Navigator is a great place to start), have them pick a couple favorites and donate as generously as possible. Use money that you would’ve spent on gifts to order takeout from local restaurants. They need massive support to survive the winter lockdown.
7) Corral the family to watch some entertaining and relevant Jewish-themed movies spanning the decades. Four recommendations (one for every other night):
“Gentleman’s Agreement” (1947), a black-and-white oldie but goodie (Academy Awards for best picture and director) starring Gregory Peck as a journalist going undercover to research and expose antiSemitism in New York City and its aff luent suburbs.
“School Ties” (1992), starring Matt Damon, Brendan Fraser, Ben Affleck and Chris O’Donnell (in their exceptionally handsome youths) as students at a fancy prep school in the 1950s. Fraser plays a working-class Jewish teen who wins a scholarship to the elite school and becomes the target of blatant anti-Semitism.
“BlacKkKlansman” (2018), directed by the inimitable Spike Lee based on a 2014 memoir by Ron Stallworth, a Black police officer who infiltrated the Klan in the 1970s. A riveting Adam Driver plays the Jewish cop who conceals his heritage to join the Klan as Stallworth’s surrogate. A truth-is-strangerthan-fiction tale about racism, anti-Semitism and Black/Jewish relations.
(All three movies above are available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and multiple other streamers).
“Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations” (2020), a documentary by Andrew Goldberg exploring the resurgence of anti-Semitism in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Hungary.
The film features interviews with Tony Blair, Bill Clinton and other notables and illuminates the ever-mutating figurative virus of Jew hatred. (Available for streaming on PBS.)
8) Be a mensch (kind, considerate person) and wear a mask!
Parting words to people of all faiths this holiday season — keep your spiritual lights shining, your masks on and your arms ready to be vaccinated.
Only a few more months until we all hug, dance, laugh, sing and celebrate our simchas (happy times) together again.