Happy Chanukkah! I say that because JJ and I got to go to a Chanukkah party last week. He is doing his cross-cultural module with Chai v' Shalom, a Jewish-Lutheran congregation affiliated with Apple of His Eye. The Chanukkah party was a lot of fun and very interesting! There was a potluck. I brought macaroni and cheese, but foods cooked in oil are traditional, we found out, in remembrance of the miracle of the oil at Chanukkah. So there was fried chicken and potato pancakes (called Latkes). I'd never had potato pancakes before, and they were very good! We were able to get the recipe:
Blend well 1 egg, 1 small chopped onion, dash of pepper, 2 Tablespoons of flour, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Peel or scrub (the peel gives the the pancakes a nice texture) 3 medium potatoes. In a food processor, shred the potatoes and add the other ingredients. Mix well, make into pancakes, and fry in hot oil. Makes 8-10 pancakes.
We ate our pancakes with sour cream or applesauce and were told that applesauce is the "Gentile way" of eating Latkes! I tried it both ways and couldn't decide which I liked better. JJ liked them better with applesauce which is apparently the more German way of eating potato pancakes.
Along with some good food, we also got to hear the Chanukkah story told by Rev. Kevin Parviz, the pastor of Chai v' Shalom. He gathered all the kids around and told the story of how two thousand Jews led by Judas "the hammer" Maccabees successfully beat ten thousand Assyrians with drunk elephants! The Jews then purified the temple but only had enough oil to keep the candles lit for a day while it would take ten days for enough new oil to be pressed. Miraculously, the one day supply of oil lasted the full ten days.
We also got the chance to play the dreidel game, which Pastor Parviz called "sanctified gambling." JJ and I won a few chocolate coins, which was nice!
Part of JJ's cross-cultural module will include going to services at Chai' v' Shalom, attending an Orthodox Synagogue (where we'll have to sit on separate sides of the sanctuary since men and women don't sit together), and visiting a Holocaust Museum. I think it will be a very educational experience for both of us.
But now we are gearing up for Christmas! This is our first Christmas together, and that is making it very special. We will be going up to Wisconsin to spend our break with JJ's family. I'm hoping for a white Christmas, but I don't plan on going outside at all in the cold! We wish you all a blessed Christmas celebrating the Incarnation of YHWH.