Big Tent Judaism

A Zen-Inspired Menorah For Hanukkah

It is definitely the post-Thanksgiving Hanukkah season. That is why it wasn’t a surprise to receive among the various catalogues that deluge my mailbox each day a catalogue from the Spertus College Museum in Chicago. What did surprise me was one of the featured items:a “Zen-inspired Hanukkah menorah.” It is indeed a very simple and beautiful piece, reminiscent of the goal of many to maintain Hanukkah’s simple beauty. I wondered whether it would be appropriate for the growing number of couples with whom JOI has been in contact in which one of the partners was raised with a Buddhist heritage. What is it about the inspiration of Zen that is not labeled as syncretism, but the inspiration of Christianity on Hanukkah ritual objects would certainly be considered as such? It isn’t the first time this question has arisen on our blog. But it does seem like this is the right time of year—in light of the Zen menorah and the community’s focus on the so-called “December Dilemma” of Hanukkah and Christmas—to ask that question again.

Thanksgiving: An Opportunity for Interfaith Families

Thanksgiving provides us the occasion to give thanks. While many of us think about thanking God for the bountiful harvest and the blessings that we enjoy with family and friends around us, perhaps it is time to think of other expressions of gratitude, as well. Of late, there has been a lot of conversation about how the Jewish community should be thanking those of other religious backgrounds who have cast their lot with the Jewish people and are raising Jewish children. The Jewish Outreach Institute has been at the forefront of this effort to celebrate these many unsung heroes of our generation. If you are part of an interfaith family that has chosen to raise Jewish children, we thank you for joining our community.

We have also been giving a great deal of thought to the question of why men and women of other religious backgrounds would choose to raise their children as Jews. As part of the Jewish community, we seldom think in that direction.

So at this time of giving thanks, this time of gathering with family and friends, the Jewish community may want to make sure that those parents have reason to express their thanks to the Jewish community, as well, for welcoming them in—beginning with those gathered around their own Thanksgiving tables. Consider this a prophetic directive of sorts for the community in this season. In other words, it may not yet be the case that all interfaith families have a reason to thank the Jewish community, but we envision such a day.

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