Monday, December 10, 2012
Rabbi Schmuel of Chabad Center and Lubavitch of Maryland led the ceremony, while elected officials and Pikesville area community leader Ron Rosenbluth lit the lamps.
The Jewish Girl Scouts Troop sold boxes of cookies, while congregants of Chabad Center in Pikesville handed out menorahs to people who don't have them. It was Monday night—the third of the eight-night Festival of Lights—when state and county elected officials and community members gathered at The Chanukah House in Pikesville for the menorah lighting ceremony. Israel 'Izzy' Patoka of Gov. Martin O'Malley's office; Del. Dana Stein, and Pikesville area community leader Ron Rosenbluth each lit one of the three lamps. Baltimore County Council Chairwoman Vicki Almond lit the shamash—the middle lamp. Rabbi Schmuel Kaplan of Chabad Center and Lubavitch of Maryland led the ceremony. Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz had planned to attend, …
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Take a look at some of the most popular winter holidays, and some of the newer traditions they have spawned.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Brian Hooks
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Sunday, December 25, 2011
Christmas With a name literally meaning "Christ's Mass," the biggest Christian holiday has become the biggest commercial event in the world. In what may be a surprise to many, a Christmas-like holiday was actually celebrated by the Norse in Scandinavia hundreds of years prior to Jesus' birth. People feasted over burning Yule logs in observance of the winter solstice, according to the History Channel. Now, kids roll into bed the night of Christmas Eve in anticipation of the magical Santa Claus, whose legend of generosity traces back to third-century Turkey. Hanukkah Jewish scripture suggests the origins of Hanukkah, also known as the "festival of lights," date back to around 200 B.C., when a group of Jews in Israel worked to cleanse and …
Friday, December 23, 2011
Hanukkah is not, for Jews, what Christmas is for Christians. Here’s what rabbis have to say about the holiday season.
While Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, changes dates each year according to the Hebrew calendar, it usually falls in close proximity to Christmas. That means the two are often lumped together under the ubiquitous "Happy Holidays" banner. This year, in fact, Hanukkah's fifth night is Christmas Eve. Rabbi/Cantor Rhoda Silverman of Temple Emanuel in Reisterstown said Hanukkah, which is not one of the holiest Jewish days, should be seen as separate from the Christian commemoration. “We don’t have to merge them and melt them down together into one American festival in order to respect each other,” she said. “We can respect each other’s holidays and keep their integrity.” Because of Hanukkah's proximity to Christmas, it has fallen victim…
