Happy Chanukah!!!

[lisalisa]

Just to wish all the jewish mums ( or dads ) out there a Happy Chaunkah!

Candle lighting begins tonight at 4.20pm for first light of Chanukah. Don't forget the pressies, doughnuts,latkes and anything fried in oil or milky.

We're having a big party tonight and the chiildren are allowed to stay up - they are so excited... Later on I will be up to my elbows ( literally) in dough and grated potato as well as excited children.

Have fun everyone....

[Kaysleighbells]

Happy Chanukah Have set my menorah ready to light when I get home from work and have bought the kids chocolate money.

They are very excited already as we read the Chanukah story last night to get us in the mood !

[hester]

Happy Chanukah all
And Gut Yomtiv, as my old gran used to say...

[lisalisa]

Wow Hester - she must have been speaking in Yiddish! Mine used to say that too. never realised there were so many jewish people on MN!!!

[KateandtheElves]

Happy Hannukah to all of you!

My 5 year old was very excited when she told me the other day that her teacher celebrates Christmas and Hannukah. (I think she's Jewish, married to a Christian.) She thought her teacher must be the luckiest person in the world!

Have some latkes for me. Yummy!

[Kaysleighbells]

KateandtheElves, I'm a jew married to a non-jew and we will be lighting the menorah tonight standing next to the xmas tree .

Who says you can't have it all !!!

[TheHollyAndTheTwiglett]

Happy Hanukkah to one and all

[TheHollyAndTheTwiglett]

I'm like Kayleigh .. we are going to choose the last day of chanukkah to put the christmas tree up

[hester]

Ah lisalisa, we're everywhere remember: in the government, the media, international finance and Mumsnet! As my grandad used to say, 'It's hard work running the world; do you think I could go back to being a used car salesman?'

KateandtheElves - the same grandad remarried a Catholic a few years ago, in a building that doubles as a church and as a shul, at a ceremony officiated over by a rabbi and a priest. I didn't think this was possible, but it seems that in Florida everything is!

[lisalisa]

And controlling the votes in American elections, hester huh?

We had a helluva party last night - last guests left at 1.00am . Good old dh frying lutkes and doughnuts by the gallon and a heimishe rock band blasting out moatsur.

Kids went to sleep at 11.00pm! When we got to school this morning 5 mins early we were the only ones there with the headmaster and security guard!!! Stragglers started filing in - all kvetchy and bleary eyed 5 mins later.

Hope you all had a good first light and enjoyed your yummy treats.

[hester]

Oh, I sorted out the American elections all by myself, lisa. There's no limit to my powers!

Glad you had a great evening. I'm sure today's fog is caused by a drifting cloud of cooking oil leaving north west London...

[lisalisa]

LOL Hester . do you live in north west london too?

[TheHollyAndTheTwiglett]

is there a simple song for a 3 year old to sing around the candle lighting please .. gawd knows how you'll let me know the tune though

[hester]

Lisa - no, I live in West London, and was raised in SE London. But it feels all wrong, like I have been exiled from my true homeland! My grandparents settled in Hampstead on arrival here, and a series of personal dramas led to the family being split up and scattered all over the place. My grandmother remarried, converted, and my mum - having spent her first decade speaking Yiddish and attending the Anna Freud school - had to convert to catholicism and go to a convent school. She's still not recovered from the cultural confusion, and i still feel that I should really be a Hampstead intellectual, despite lacking the cash, and the intellect, to make that happen

[lisalisa]

Wow Hester that's amazing especially in that you still think/consider yourself jewish or do you consider yourself catholic? In terms of jewish law you're still considered jewish as are your children you know. Can't get away from it you know.

[hester]

I think of myself as jewish-ish, I suppose. It comes back to the race/culture/religion argument, doesn't it? I'm very aware of all the ways in which I'm not Jewish - wasn't raised in the faith, don't go to shul, don't know all the festivals etc. But I have a strong sense of loyalty, and of connection - I am very close to my grandad and to his side of the family; we correspond in Yiddish (very basic on my part) which is strange but lovely. And I think both me and my mum share a sense of loss, an awareness that there is a community that we were once part of, and aren't really any more (having said which, most of my friends are secular Jews so I feel amongst others!). It is probably very mixed up with more personal losses, as my Mum adored her dad, and was very upset when he left and then emigrated to join the rest of his family in the US (they couldn't all get out of Germany at the same time or to the same place).

Identity's a strange and fascinating thing, isn't it?

[hester]

PS. And no I don't think of myself as remotely Catholic! My poor mum got out of that convent and dropped the whole business as soon as she could! Since her stepfather died there hasn't been one practising Catholic in three generations, so that didn't really have legs

[lisalisa]

Hester - that's a very moving and interesting account. I can't believe that you can speak Yiddush!! This is something that most secular jews would never be able to do. Far from not knowing much about the religion you're in a very good position!!!

Can you come on sat night with us( see other thread about meet up)?

[hester]

Hi Lisa, have been away and just got back and read your post. It's lovely of you to invite me along tonight, specially as I'm such a watered-down reduced calorie sort of Jew, but I'm afraid I can't make it. Would love to come along to any future events, though, so will keep my eye on the thead