To the editor:
We were surprised to look in the Edge on October 4 to find an article on Chanukah. Chanukah already? Still, if Halloween candy can be on display in the groceries as the school year gets started, perhaps it is never too early to start talking about Chanukah.
Maybe we missed something, as it seemed that Ms. Owen’s column was in response to someone else’s incorrect claims that Chanukah is an appropriation of Christmastime. If that is the case, her desire to set the record straight is appreciated. Her description of Chanukah and its history were accurate; still, she failed to recognize that there is a vibrant Jewish community here in the Berkshires that celebrates these holidays. Judaism is not an academic exercise, it is a lived tradition by community members here and now. We were disappointed that you would publish something about us, without us.
Perhaps our reaction is amplified by the timing of the piece. Despite its popularity, Chanukah is among the minor holidays. And, at the time of writing, we are only hours away from beginning the holiest day of the year on the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is also known as the Sabbath of Sabbaths, a day in which the Jewish community comes together to perform t’shuvah, deep repentance, in which we reset from misdeeds in the year past, moving toward a new year that we pray will be filled with meaning and blessings. We simply want to note the discordance of a piece about Chanukah on the eve of the holiest day on our calendar.
The Hebrew word for a transgression is cheit, whose root meaning harkens back to archery. Literally, it means missing the mark. Yes, “Prejudice is the child of ignorance,” and it seems the timing of Ms. Owen’s reflection was off target.
We wish all those who are observing Yom Kippur today a meaningful fast, and invite all in our Berkshires community who are curious to learn about Jewish holidays to reach out. You are welcome at our celebrations, and can find out more about them by visiting hevreh.org and reformjudaism.org. As your local rabbis, we are always happy to teach and share more about our ancient and lived traditions.
Rabbi Neil P.G. Hirsch and Rabbi Jodie Gordon
Rabbis Hirsch and Gordon serve Hevreh of Southern Berkshire, the center for Jewish life, learning, and community in Great Barrington.
