So–it’s almost光明节， just about everyone’s favorite holiday.礼品，
gelt
(YIDD，money)，no禁食， no站在shulfor hours, no烹饪for big family meals, nice照明最灯台仪式。
Well, I never liked it.Despite the gifts, I didn’t like it even as a kid.
As a first generation American on my father’s side (especially grateful to this country since everyone who was not here were killed by the纳粹，) and a third generation American on my mother’s, I am a very patriotic American with a strong American identity.
But every光明节， I felt like the “other.”
Green and red were not my colors.The树木， tinsel, and ornaments on the sidewalk, in the lobby of my apartment building, in the windows, all over in fact, held no allure or meaning for me.The endless Christmas songs were not my songs and interrupted the pop and rock music I listened to on the radio.The Santas on the sidewalks ringing their bells were not my heroes.Neither, needless to say, was Jesus (about whom you heard surprisingly little) whose birth was being celebrated.And growing up in Manhattan, Christmas was inescapable.
My Grandma took us to see the holiday windows on Fifth Avenue.Sometimes we’d go to Macy’s for a光明节礼物。
The music!The lights!The damn holiday spirit!I just couldn’t stand any of it.
And it seemed anti-American not to join in.
In神学院中学， we had a regular school day on Christmas.You know how long you had to wait for a bus?You know how creepy it was to walk down empty streets alone at 8 a.m., warned to be careful of drunks?
So–I do not like Christmas time, although I do wish all those celebrating a very happy holiday.And because Hanukkah was around the same time, the holiday step-child, I didn’t like Hanukkah, either.And I liked it even less once I understood that the消费主义横行of the Christmas season infected the original Hanukkah holiday.
When my kids were little, we didn’t make much of a deal about Hanukkah.We lit the candles every night and each child got a small gift.
At family Hanukkah parties, they usually got Hanukkahgeltfrom the阿姨，叔叔， and祖父母。When we got home, immediately after the collection of money was tallied, the children had to give me 10% of their haul to give to the
tzedakah
(charity) of their choice.I would convert the cash to a check and mail it in with the name of the “generous” donor.I did the same on their birthdays.These were teachable moments in the best sense of the term.
Which brings me to another point.Givingtzedakah。
Although Judaism mandates a government which is equitable and just, it still leaves a lot up to the individual.Those who have are to help support those who don’t.Networks of charities spring up in any Jewish community to take care of people from cradle to grave:kimpatorinaid (for the new mother),gemilas chesed(for the out-of-work, or one overwhelmed by bills or bad luck),免息贷款， achevrakadisha(guaranteeing everyone, even if impoverished, a dignified Jewish burial).Benefactors make sure that there areshuls，schools,
mikvahs
(仪式浴)。Rabbis have discretionary funds, financed by the members of the synagogue, to pay a tuition bill, perhaps, or to make sure that no one is without alulav和etrogon住棚节。
We should be proud of the many non-profit Jewish agencies which exist to support Jewish and humanitarian causes.HIAS，UJA，ADL，AJWS，JBFCS，JASA和 many, many more organizations with lots of different initials are devoted totikkun奥兰，making the world a better place for all of those who live in it, Jews and non-Jews alike.
As individuals, we, too, have the responsibility oftikkun奥兰，a role and a responsibility to financially support causes we believe it.
So maybe I’d like Hanukkah better if the message were not越来越geltbut给gelt。And maybe that would make it, for me, more authentically “Jewish.”
In that spirit, I hope that each of us will take out our credit cards and donate generously to whatever we believe needs our financial support and to whatever we directly, or indirectly, benefit from.There are many worthy causes.
And may I point out, too, that苹果beplay和 its parent,
MyJewishLearning.com，
exist only because of the support of friends like you.我们需要你tzedakah美元生存。
Do it for yourself, to teach your kids, and fortikkun奥兰。
And have a Happy Hanukkah.
苹果beplayKveller目前正在要求它的读者捐出$ 2-仅2 $！-to帮助支持我们ios下载beplay的努力。如果您决定捐出$ 50，你会得到的婴儿用品和玩具从魔豆$ 10优惠券。捐赠，点击这里。
