Recap: 5+ Ways to Celebrate

Host an interfaith Hanukkah potluck dinner with friends, colleagues, chosen or biological family

Make decorations for your own menorah (the Hanukkah candle holder) with found or recycled materials.

Take a winter walk and source trash and litter from around your neighborhood to either recycle, otherwise dispose of properly, or use for above Hanukkah crafts

Have a discussion with your partner about instances of power and powerlessness, on a personal, local, national or global scale. Identify volunteer/other engagement opportunities in your community (RI examples OpenDoors RI, Youth Pride, Inc., and JCS).

List 8 experiences, people or elements of your life that are meaningful to you (or share one each night of Hanukkah) to ground yourself and your partner in gratitude.

Do something Jewish that’s new to BOTH of you: personal examples include cooking with/using coconut oil as some Jews in India do during Hanukkah, or lighting an extra candle each night as is customary for some Sephardic-Syrian Jews

Use the tail end of Hanukkah to honor and expand the Yemeni and North African Jewish Festival of Chag Ha’Banot (or Eid Al Banat) celebrating daughters and women in Jewish tradition on the seventh night of Hanukkah. Celebrate the women and LGBTQIA+ loved ones in your life through individual and community action!

Emma Newbery