Dear Noar Families,
We are excited to see you and your children at Noar this Sunday as we celebrate Chanukah with area day and overnight camps. You are invited to visit with representatives from Camp Coleman, URJ 6 Points, Camp Judea, Camp Blue Star, Camp Barney, In the City, and Epstein Summer Adventures in the lobby from 9:15-10:00 to learn more about what they have to offer. Over and over again, it has been shown that Jewish summer camp experiences lead to children growing into engaged college students and members of the Jewish community later in life. Now, more than ever, we need to provide these opportunities to our children.
My 10 year old niece recently asked me to share with her what Chanukah means to me. I thought I would share my thoughts here with you as well.
Chanukah is the story of re-dedication of moving from darkness to light. A story that began thousands of years ago in the Jewish homeland of Erez Yisrael.
But what does Chanukah mean to me today?- It means retelling a story old as time, a story of how a small minority persevered. A story that has repeated itself, in many formats, over and over again and yet, we survived -עם ישראל חי Am Yisrael Chai!
- It means connecting to a tradition carried out from generation to generation מדור לדור ,from my great, great-grandparents in Latvia to their children and their children's children who light candles tonight around the world in Hungary, America and Israel .
- It means Jewish pride as we publicize the miracle לפרסם את הנס. Tonight, we place our חנוכיה in the window and share the light and the message of Chanukah with all who can see our Chanukiah.
- It means ניסים, miracles. Finding beauty in the mundane.
- It means מסורת, tradition. Lighting these candles and passing on this tradition to my children.
- It means תקווה, hope. The hope that in dark times there will be light. The hope of adding more light with each additional night.
- It means family משפחה and community, קהילה. Enjoying a time when we come together to celebrate.
- It means light, אור, bringing more light into this world. As we light the Chanukah candles, it means dedicating myself to looking for opportunities to bring more light into the world. Whether buying presents for those in need at this time of year, providing food for the food insecure, offering words of encouragement to those who need it or educating children so they may continue to shine their light.
Chag Orim Sameach,
Happy Chanukah
Shanna
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