PicTure ThiS

once. The Book was almost
excluded from the Bible. On
Chanuka, no sea parted. God
did not drown the Syrian army in
a sea. No sun stood still.
It's the events of Chanuka and
Purim that are called nisim, or
miracles, because from a Jewish 1.4
perspective, for a supernatural
0
God to perform super-natural acts
— to split a sea or make oil last
longer than we thought — is
quite natural. That's what it
means to be God.
The greater miracle is when
human beings who have exhaust-
ed the limits of their spirit and
strength still manage to sacrifice
on account of an ideal and stand
up for what they believe. The mir-
acle that we celebrate on Chanu-
ka is the miracle of faith and
responsibility and continuity that
makes us disregard people who
think we must joking or crazy to
hold onto our religious principles.
To survive, to carry on, to
endure, to maintain one's connec-
tion under such circumstances —
that's a miracle. That's what we
Jews have been able to do: to
hold onto our tradition against all
odds, to perform the truly miracu-
lous.
The fact that the Jewish people
have held onto the Chanuka story
for more than 2,000 years, that
we have held onto it and trans-
mitted it from generation to gen-
eration, in one country after
another; when we were offered
rewards if we would give it up
and threats if we didn't, that the
Jewish people held on to this holi-
day for 2,100 years — that is a
miracle. And the fact that we still
have it now, and that we are
right now transmitting the story of
Chanuka and the story of our
people to the next generation, to
those who will come after us —
that, too, is a miracle and the
challenge of our day. ❑

3

Lights, Please!

Families throughout metro Detroit got a
great start to Chanuka last Thurscay at
the "Licht One Candle: Chanuka
Through The Senses" program at the
ewish Communi -y Center in Oak Park.

Elizabeth Applebaum
AppleTree Editor
he evening began with a yummy pi77a
dinner, followed by arts and crafts, story
telling and a sing-along.
Those attending the program, sponsored by the
Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
and Jewish Experiences For Families, especially
enjoyed a marvelous rendition of How the Kvetch
Made Chanuka, a rhyming tale that offered a
totally new twist on the holiday, read by the JCC's
Andy Roisman and JEFF's Lisa Soble Siegmann.
Guests also made candles and created mats, on which
were written blessings said over the Chanuka candles.
These were lovingly decorated with markers, bright stickers
and plastic jewels of pink and purple.
To top off the evening, participants received a surprise
from thejewish Federation's Project 2000 families. Each
cheerily wrapped packet included a cassette tape of
Chanuka music, two dreidels (with the letters nun, gimel,
hey and pey standing for Nes Gadol Haya Po — a
"Great Miracle Happened Here," as it's said in Israel) and
a letter about the Israeli family that sent it. Children said
they were looking forward to writing back and maybe
even becoming penpals with the Israelis. ❑

T

Top to bottom, from left

Max Kresch, 3, of Oak Park, enjoys some pizza.

Showing his enthusiasm isJacob Allen of Southfield.

Lisa Soble Siegman, director of JEFF, leads .the children in songs.

Julie Wolfson and son Joseph, 4, of Oak Park, sing along during the
"Light One Candle" program.

Aher Teshuba, 4, and his brother Zev, 14, of Oak Park, work togeth-
er on prayer plaques.

liana Sherizen, 2, and Joshua Cider, 5, both of Huntington Woods,
listen to the story of Chanuka.

U

12/10
1999

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