Houston’s Jewish congregations celebrate struggle and survival
Congregation Beth Yeshurun is going all out this year for Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights.
“It’s something for everyone, that’s the idea,” program director Jennifer Rosenzweig said. “This is a fun holiday, and we want to make sure each group can participate.”
Teens have gathered for bingo and latkes; religious school classes have focused on Hanukkah stories, crafts and games, and young professionals are got together for cocktails and schmoozing at Zoo Lights.
For the first time, the congregation added a sensory-sensitive Hanukkah event for congregants of all ages with visual, auditory or social sensitivities or disabilities.
But the largest celebration, Light Up the Night!, is planned Dec. 18, the first night of Hanukkah. About 400 people are expected to attend for dinner, crafts, games, a glow room and fireworks, Rosenzweig said.
The synagogue held its first fireworks show last year after the pandemic, to make getting back together truly spectacular. Now, it’s a new tradition.
“We wanted to do something really exciting, and it was just a blast,” Rosenzweig said.
Lighting up the sky for Hanukkah simply makes sense, Rabbi Brian Strauss said. “It’s a festival of light,” he said. “What better way to show that than with fireworks?”
Hanukkah story
The Hanukkah story goes back 2,400 years ago, to the time of Syrian Greeks. “They controlled the land, and they were slowly but surely not allowing Jewish traditions or the study of Torah,” Strauss said. “There ended up being a major uprising. For three years, Judah Maccabee led a small band of Jewish fighters. Finally, they reclaimed the second temple in Jerusalem, a holy site that had been defiled.
Cleaning and returning the place of worship to its former glory was their next priority. But there was a problem.
“The menorah, or sevenbranch candelabra, is supposed to be permanently lit as a reminder of God’s presence in the temple,” Strauss said.
The light had been extinguished — and in the rubble, only enough oil for one night was found. “It miraculously lasted eight nights,” he said.
That is why Hanukkah today is celebrated by lighting a “Chanukiah,” which has eight candles plus the “shamash” or candle used to light the others, as opposed to the menorah. A Chanukiah strictly refers to a Hanukkah menorah with nine branches, while “menorah” refers to any type of Jewish lamp,
Each of the eight candles symbolizes a night that the oil miraculously burned.
At Beth Yeshurun, a short video of clergy lighting the Chanukiah is posted online each night of Hanukkah, allowing families to join the tradition virtually.
“We celebrate different miracles on Hanukkah,” Strauss said. “One is the military miracle, another is the spiritual miracle of the light. The third is the miracle of Jewish survival.”
And that has been on his mind a lot currently, with the rise in hate speech nationwide.
Struggle and survival
“Despite the presence of antisemitism, Jews continue to survive and bring light to the world through our values and traditions,” Strauss said. “It’s a very meaningful holiday.”
It’s about encouraging others in the midst of their own struggles, the rabbi said.
“When you light your Chanukiah, you’re supposed to put it in your window to say to the world, ‘We have survived these persecutions. You can survive challenges as well,’” he said.
Hanukkah is also about joining together to celebrate Jewish identity. “It’s a sense of Jewish pride,” Strauss said.
“We are still not afraid to proclaim our Judaism publicly.
And we’re still publicizing this great miracle.”
Capturing that same spirit at an early age is the goal of Rene Kariel, director of the Ellen Boniuk Early Childhood School, a satellite campus of the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center, also known as West Houston JCC.
“It’s really all about getting them excited that they can come together and celebrate their Jewishness, especially in today’s time,” she said. “We want children to be proud and excited about their Judaism.”
The West Houston Community Hanukkah event, which was held Dec. 11, featured songs, crafts and games for children.
For adults, there was a debate about Jewish holiday foods: latkes versus hamantaschen. The discussion featured Rabbis Gideon Estes of Congregation Or Ami, Steve Gross of the Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism, David Lipper of Temple Sinai and Dovid Goldstein of Chabad of West Houston.
Holidays are often an ideal entry point for learning about faith for all ages, Kariel said.
“I find comfort in celebrating the holidays,” she said. “It’s through those celebrations that I feel confident in my Judaism.”
Hanukkah celebrations unite Jewish residents. “It’s so important to bring people together as a community,” Kariel said. “Community is what binds us together as Jewish people.”
Congregation Emanu El Rabbi Oren Hayon said that families bring their Chanukiyot (plural for Chanukiah) to the synagogue and light them during the Hanukkah service in the sanctuary.
“It has such a beautiful visual impact, and seeing all these families of all ages, lit up by the glow of candles, is always a moving and inspiring sight,” he said.
Longtime member Elizabeth Townsend, who also serves as an education assistant at Emanu El, said the tradition reminds her of being a kid at Hanukkah.
“Now I bring my 2-year-old,” she said. “It’s ‘l’dor v’dor.’” — the Hebrew saying translates to “from generation to generation.”
“When you sit in the sanctuary with 100 menorahs lit in front of you, it’s just so beautiful,” Townsend said.
Celebrations
Hanukkah celebrations continue around Houston.
Grand Chanukah Celebration: Market Street in The Woodlands will host its 12th annual celebration from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at Central Park, 9595 Six Pines.
Cypress Center for Jewish Life’s Chanukah Celebration: 4:30-5:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at 14350 Cypress N. Houston Road
Bellaire Hanukkah Festival: 4 p.m. Dec. 18 at the Bellaire Town Square Center, 7008 S. Rice Ave.
Light Up the Night!: Fireworks and festivities start at 5 p.m. Dec. 18 at Congregation Beth Yeshurun, 4525 Beechnut.
Chanukah Shabbat and Latke supper: Congregation Emanu El hosts at 6 p.m. Dec. 23, 1500 Sunset Blvd.