Growing up as a young child in Israel, I remember receiving "Dmei Chanukah," Chanukah money given in celebration of the holiday. This was the tradition in many households, and receiving gifts was never really part of the festivities. As a young immigrant mom raising children here in America, I witnessed the cultural assimilation, especially near the holiday season. With Christmas often right around the same time as Chanukah, my children wanted to be just like their friends and receive gifts. This was not the tradition I was raised with; however, wanting my children to fit in, we changed our traditions and began exchanging gifts to celebrate the holiday. Yet, I believe Chanukah should be much more than the act of exchanging gifts, be it "Dmei Chanukah" or material gifts; Chanukah should be about giving back to your community and celebrating the tiny miracles that we encounter throughout our lives.
To understand how to reshape our traditions, we must go beyond to examine the story and meaning of Chanukah. The story of Chanukah is a story of community, giving, and Tikkun Olam. It tells a story of a band of brothers who fight for their community and ultimately win; what is left from the destruction is a tiny jar of oil that lasts for eight days. The Maccabees teach us the importance of unity, standing with your community, and the miracles that can happen when you do. As educators, it is our job to help retell the story of Chanukah to our children and refocus the central theme of Chanukah to the act of giving back.
Through Chanukah's story, we can teach how a small band of brothers rose up united to stand for their community and the importance of doing so. And during the holiday season, there are plenty of opportunities to give back and create a curriculum around the act of giving. There are many ways to develop and set examples for our children, such as giving Sova, donating presents to other children, creating holiday cards for families, and donating packaged essentials to the homeless. As parents and educators, we can also include books to help inspire children to give back; books that help foster this idea include; Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud, The Three Questions by Jon J. Muth, and The Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Peña.
I believe this year is a great year to start a new tradition with our young ones by focusing more on giving back during the eight nights of Chanukah and challenge you to create new customs that will foster the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam.