Gratitude in a Minute - Love, Kindness & Happiness

EPISODE 260-KT260-Chanukah-During-the-Holocaust
GRATITUDE IN A MINUTE WITH KAREN TREIGER
I never heard my in-laws, Sam and Esther Goldberg speak of Chanukah during the war years. I imagine that in 1939 and 1940, when they lived under Soviet occupation in eastern Poland, they were able to light Chanukah candles. But after the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941, I don’t think Chanukah was celebrated again until they were liberated. But there were Jews who, even during the darkest years of the war found ways to light candles. For example, in the Concentration Camp Theresienstadt, in 1942, Arnold Zadikow and Leopold Hecht carved a stunning Menorah with a star of David out of a block of wood. Others imprisoned at Bergen-Belsen used carved-out potatoes and made wicks from loose thread and saved scraps of fat from their food to burn. Others such as the Elchanan family who on Chanukah of 1943, found themselves at Westerbork, a transit camp in the Netherlands, made a Menorah out of wood and aluminum foil, using cotton as wicks and grease to light the fire. I’m grateful that their spirit of freedom burned within them, even when their physical freedom was taken away.
[Source Natasha Frost – Amid the Holocaust Horrors, many Jews found ways to Mark Hanukah. History. Dec. 20, 2019. https://www.history.com/news/holocaust-hanukkah-concentration-camps-jews ]

EPISODE 259-KT259-Gratitude-For-Chanukah-At-Home
GRATITUDE IN A MINUTE WITH KAREN TREIGER
Today is the fifth day of Chanukah and I’m traveling back home. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to light candles and celebrate with my New York based family. The twins, Sammy and Evie, who are three months old, were delightful and smiled and coo’ed their way through the first days of Chanukah. I appreciate that I was able to travel to New York and see them, hold them and give them some Bubbi love. I had a wonderful trip and spending time with my two daughters and son-in-law (and his family) was a treat. I am deeply grateful for my mechuten’s hospitality. But I am so happy to be heading home – to Seattle – and to have three more days and nights of Chanukah to light candles and celebrate with my Seattle family, especially my mother, my husband, son, daughter-in-law, and 15-month-old grandson. It’s really nice to travel, but its especially nice to come back home.

EPISODE 258-KT258-Judith-the-Sword-And-the-Cheese
GRATITUDE IN A MINUTE WITH KAREN TREIGER
There is a lesser-known Chanukah food – cheese. The tradition of eating cheese is associated with the heroine Judith. Judith was a beautiful widow who lived in the town of Bethulia in Israel. An Assyrian army set siege on the town, and Judith went into the enemy camp to meet with their leader, Holofernes, a general for the Assyrians. Judith dined with the general, feeding him cheese, so he’d be thirsty and drink too much wine – which he did – after which he passed out. After he passed out, Judith took the general’s sword and cut off his head. The severed head inspired the Israelites to attack, and the Assyrians fled. This story was passed down orally and by the 14th century there was a strong tradition of eating cheese on Chanukah to celebrate Judith’s heroic act. Even Reb Moshe Isserliss, known as the Rama, one of the greatest Ashkenazik Rabbis, recommends eating cheese on Chanukah in honor of Judith. Think about Judith next time you have wine and cheese – but keep your sword well hidden.

EPISODE 257-KT257-Chanukah-Latkes-and-other-fried-delights
GRATITUDE IN A MINUTE WITH KAREN TREIGER
On Chanukah, there is a tradition to eat food fried in oil. The oil became the big thing because of the miracle in the Temple. Oil was needed to light the Menorah, but they could only find a small jar of pure oil – enough for one day. Well, this small amount of oil kept the Menorah lit for eight days and nights – enough time to produce more pure oil.
So we fry. The Sephardim fry bumwellos – fried dough dripping with honey. In Israel, droughts of all kind are consumed. But Jews of Ashkenazik heritage fry potatoes, turning them into savory golden-brown Latkes. Now some eat Latkes with sour cream, but really, I believe that applesauce is the better choice. I believed that Latkes were uniquely Jewish. But, in 2016 I traveled to Belarus to visit the remnants of my grandmother’s tiny Shtetl, Samke. When I stepped off the plane in Minsk, I was handed a welcome to Belarus bag. Inside there was a postcard with a picture of a Latke – and it said: “The national food of Belarus.” So much for the Latke being a Jewish food.

EPISODE 256-KT256-Chanukah-the-Dreidel
GRATITUDE IN A MINUTE WITH KAREN TREIGER
On Chanukah, we play with a four-sided spinner called dreidels. Dreidels are a reminder that during the time of the Maccabees, Jewish children were forbidden from studying Torah. The children would defy the decree and study anyway. When a Greek official walked by, they would put away their books and play with a spinning top, claiming they were just having fun. The letters on the sides of the Dreidel stand for words: Nes (נס) Gadol (גדול) Haya (היה) Sham (שׁם), which means “a great miracle happened there” (“there” being the land of Israel). In Israel, the letter Pay, for the Hebrew word Po (פּה) meaning “here,” replaces the letter shin to spell out “a great miracle happened here.” To play, the dreidels are spun and if it lands on Gimmel – you are a winner – you take the whole pot (usually pennies or M&M’s); Hay takes half; Nun – nothing; and Shin – you must add one to the pot as the other players gleefully chant – “Shin, Shin put one in” – and so it goes a game of chance – perhaps reminiscent of life.