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Tips to keep Chanukah
meaningful for children.
Ronel le Grier I
Contributing Writer
T
he proximity of Chanukah to
the Christmas season makes
it challenging for parents to
turn their children's attention toward
the spiritual aspect of the holiday.
With so much emphasis on gift-
giving, what can families do to make
the holiday less materialistic and
more meaningful?
Here are some ideas from local
parents who have managed to do
just that, along with some tips on
teaching children to appreciate the
true meaning of
Chanukah from
family and mar-
riage therapist Dr.
Natasha Kendal.
As a child grow-
ing up in Israel,
where giving
elaborate gifts was
Family and
not the custom,
marriage
Rachel Kapen of
therapist Dr.
West Bloomfield
Natasha Kendal received the tra-
ditional gift of
Chanukah gelt, or
money.
"The custom of buying expen-
sive gifts for Chanukah obviously
began because of the proximity to
Christmas," Kapen said. "Growing up
in Eretz Israel and then the State of
Israel, we didn't have this proximity
... so, every Chanukah, we kids used
to go to a few of our parents' good
friends and family to get our tradi-
tional Chanukah gelt."
12
December 15 . 2016
Kapen has continued this tradition
with her grown children and grand-
children, who are scattered across
the country, by sending each grand-
child a small check they can use to
buy something for themselves.
"Albeit not exactly the Chanukah
gelt of my childhood, it is still not
the intention to equate Chanukah
and Christmas, two holidays that
have nothing in common," she said.
Tali Wendrow of West Bloomfield,
who was also born in Israel, grew up
feeling as if she were on a "different
planet" from her American-born
friends whose holiday consisted of
nightly gifts, usually culminating in
a large present, such as a bicycle.
"I was like 'What?! That's crazy;'
she said. "We just lit our candles,
ate latkes and got small token gifts
and the chocolate gelt. I'm cool with
that, and it's pretty much what we've
done with our kids who are now 22
and 23:'
Serving dinner to the homeless
people housed at Temple Israel
has become a holiday tradition for
Fawn and Adam Chayet of West
Bloomfield and their children,
Matthew, 16, and Abby, 12.
"We also donate gifts to Children's
Hospital in Detroit. My kids have
fun shopping and picking out new
games and toys to donate ... I've
always wanted my kids to know the
holiday season is about giving ... not
getting," Fawn said.
Lisa Ziff's daughters, Shay, 12,
and Brooke, 9, select eight of their
own toys each Chanukah season to
donate to underprivileged children.