A Message from Our Editor – November 2021
Written by Penina Taylor
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, the weather is beginning to cool down. Autumn has arrived and winter is not far behind. In North America and Europe the trees are changing colors. The “fourth quarter” of the year is not only significant for business, but it’s a holiday season full of sights, sounds, smells, sensory overload, and for some that translates into a time of difficult emotions. As Jews, our big holiday season is behind us – with Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah having occupied the better part of a month, Chanukah can feel a little like an anti-climax.
Without the competition of Thanksgiving and Christmas, Chanukah in Israel looks very different than it does in the United States, where there is a significant sense of something lacking. In Israel, Chanukah is simple: light the candles, sing the songs, eat some traditional foods, and that’s it. The only thing Chanukah has for competition is, well, the rain.
In the rest of the world (particularly the US) the competition is fierce. The ramp-up to Thanksgiving begins the day after Halloween and then the ramp-up to Christmas begins the day after Thanksgiving, with “Black Friday”. And for those not living in Israel, the yearly debates begin – is it Ok for Jews to celebrate Thanksgiving? Is it a Christian holiday or an American holiday? Our daily prayers, Shabbat, and Festival celebrations throughout the year are replete with words of thanks, so do we Jews really need another day of ‘thanksgiving’? And even if it’s not forbidden, should we? And then there’s also the problem of the Thanksgiving meal overshadowing Shabbat which follows 24 hours later. But honestly, that is nothing compared to the question of whether or not Chanukah in the Diaspora has become a blue-white-silver version of Christmas, with significant gift giving, over-the-top decorations, and Chanukah parties.
Whatever side of the discussion you fall on, the one thing all celebrations have in common is food. And so we’ve made the November issue of UNORTHOBOXED our Chanukah and Food edition. We’ve got some really interesting articles about Thanksgiving, Chanukah, and yes – eating. It’s a cornucopia of content that’s sure to satisfy even the biggest appetites.
So, we’re giving you plenty of food for thought, and like any holiday meal, there are bound to be some things on the table that don’t appeal to you. That’s fine, ignore what you don’t like, enjoy what you do, and maybe be brave and give a few new things a try!
