Jerusalem Report

I have always been intrigued by the idea of pirsumei nisa, or “publicizing the miracle,” on Hanukkah. During my college year of study in Israel, I loved walking through the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, where every window ledge was occupied by a flickering Hanukkah menorah, usually oil-burning, at eye level. Who can possibly forget the miracle of the Maccabees when it stares you in the face?

Years later, my Hebrew school students in Manhattan ask how they can publicize the miracle from their 36th-floor apartments. While there is always a chance the neighbor in the next building might see it, they do have a point. They could always take a holiday trip to Park Heights Ave., the heart of Jewish Baltimore, where I grew up, to visit at Hanukkah House, a private home with an enormous window display celebrating the Feast of Lights. If you can’t make the trip, try surfing over to http://web.archive.org where - at the bottom of the page, below the Christmas story - there’s an illustrated and illuminating article about the glowing exhibit.

You can check out other displays from Hanukkahs past in places as far-flung as Offenbach, Germany, Stockholm, and Universal Studios in Hollywood by following the links at http://www.chabad.org The Chabad- Lubavitch site also includes a link to a recording of last year’s simultaneous live hanukkiah-lighting ceremonies at 15 spots on the globe, a multimedia presentation on the festival, videos and a search engine to help you find this year’s public lightings in 11 countries, including Thailand.

In the United States, with its rules about separating church and state, Hanukkah displays can cause problems if they are sponsored by governmental bodies. At the website of the New Jersey Bar Association, http://www.njsbf.com Karen Spring discusses a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union against Brett Schundler, the mayor of Jersey City, who got around a court ban on putting up a Nativity scene and a Hanukkah menorah in the main square by adding a Frosty the Snowman and other figures, so that all the symbols weren’t religious. Spring goes on to offer good advice for schools and teachers for sensitively handling what has become known in these parts as “the December Dilemma.” In the same vein, the Anti-Defamation League, follow the links from http://www.adl.org explains the rules for displays on public property. Also check the explanation at http://www.religioustolerance.org titled Separation of Church and State: Cultural Displays at Christmas Time.

If you don’t have an 18-foot hanukkiah to display at City Hall, you may be in need of a refresher course at any one of a number of websites. Among them is the Jewish Agency’s http://www.jafi.org.il where you can get a nice review of the festival’s history and customs. Or click over to “The Hanukkah Miracles in Chelm,” by Ronin Wood, 11, at http://members.cox.net

One site I hadn’t seen before, but which is good for the basics - the Hanukkah story, foods and dreidels - is http://www.kidsdomain.com The site is interdenominational, with info about Ramadan and Kwanzaa, the African American festival beginning around December 25, as well as our Feast of Lights. But I felt odd about a link on the Hanukkah page suggesting that surfers “surprise your children with a letter from Santa!”