Greater Washington Coalition for Jewish Life
Celebrating Jewish Life in Connecticut
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December 2025
Dear Coalition Community,
Hanukkah begins on December 14th (Sunday) and continues for eight nights. The central theme of this minor holiday is Jewish sovereignty – we commemorate the independence of the Jewish nation and light our Menorot in windows and doorways to allow others to see the candles shining in the darkest time of the year. This ritual symbolizes, as described by Rabbi Rick Jacobs, symbolizes the open expression of our Jewish identity.
With the rise in Antisemitism and the very real threats against the Jewish community, it might seem like this year would be the year to keep our Menorah inside and hide that light from the rest of the world. The Talmud, Rabbi Jacobs notes, even allows for this in troubling times. And yet, during this moment there is perhaps no more important time to share our light with the world. In the midst of the darkness we must share our light with our family, our friends, and our community – people from all backgrounds and beliefs – to help us stay connected to one another and to keep us from isolation. In the face of rising aggression, we respond with outreach, courage, and pride.
Rabbi Jacobs finds inspiration from the prophet Isaiah, who reminds us to be a “light unto the nations.” It is our sacred obligation to spread the light that emanates from our Hanukkah candles specifically because it is a light of moral clarity and caring. Our values illuminate the path of our fight against Antisemitism, but also against racism, injustice, and violence. It is our affirmative obligation – Hanukkah calls us in to rededicate our efforts especially when it is challenging as a way of gathering collective strength for the tough journey ahead.
This season, I am deeply appreciative of my mentors, teachers, colleagues, and friends who are leaders in the search for justice and who are serving as lamps that illuminate an ever-darker world. May we each find people that inspire us to ignite our own flames of justice-seeking. And may the Hanukkah season ahead be a time that invites us into actions that advance the work of Jewish identity, the search for justice, belonging, and joy, and may we keep the lights burning in the years ahead.
TZEDAKAH APPEAL:
During this desperate time for many, we think of and reach out to the many who are struggling.
HIAS : “Welcome the Stranger. Protect the Refugee” The oldest refugee agency in the world, established in 1902 as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. http://hias.org
JDC: JDC uses impact measurement to reflects the diversity and scope of their diverse, long-standing global work, applies a unified philosophy to decentralized and program-driven systems that are customized to each area of their work. https://www.jdc.org/our-impact/
American Jewish Committee: addressing challenges Jews are facing worldwide, defending Democratic values for all. ajc.org
MEMBER PICKS…
FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE
“The Last Kings of Shanghai,” by Jonathan Kaufman
Review: “In vivid detail… examines the little-known history of two extraordinary dynasties.”–The Boston Globe
“Not just a brilliant, well-researched, and highly readable book about China’s past, it also reveals the contingencies and ironic twists of fate in China’s modern history.”–LA Review of Books
An epic, multigenerational story of two rival dynasties who flourished in Shanghai and Hong Kong as twentieth-century China surged into the modern era, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
The Sassoons and the Kadoories stood astride Chinese business and politics for more than one hundred seventy-five years, profiting from the Opium Wars; surviving Japanese occupation; courting Chiang Kai-shek; and nearly losing everything as the Communists swept into power.
Jonathan Kaufman tells the remarkable history of how these families ignited an economic boom and opened China to the world, but remained blind to the country’s deep inequality and to the political turmoil on their doorsteps. In a story stretching from Baghdad to Hong Kong to Shanghai to London, Kaufman enters the lives and minds of these ambitious men and women to forge a tale of opium smuggling, family rivalry, political intrigue and survival.
OTHER RECOMMENDED MEDIA
European historical drama“The Empress” on NETFLIX.
JEWISH News and Culture:
https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/language-literature-culture/the-shmooze
An aggregator that is regularly updated with a huge breadth of content and all sorts of goodies and surprises!
For example, the“Daily Guide to Zoom Events, Livestream and Other Online Resources.” Among the wide range of subjects, programs and activities you’ll see here are: “The Only Jewish Miss America” (Museum of Jewish Heritage), “Mindfulness Melodies” (Jewish Life in Maine), “Art as a Spiritual Practice,” A Midwives, Musicians, Soldiers and Rabbis: Whose Stories will Become History?,” “Bioethics During a Pandemic,” etc., etc.
And other treats too! Recipes for the holidays and everyday: “Potato Chip Schnitzel, Shwarma Chicken Kabobs, Roasted Butternut Squash with Orange Tahini, Briskett Tacos, Ethiopian Red Lentil Soup,” etc., etc…
Come visit and linger, you’ll be glad you did!
ACTIVITIES TO CONSIDER
Lifelong Peer Learning Program
Adult continuing education through peer learning, to find out more please visit:
https://www.lp2nyc.org/who-we-are/join-us/
https://www.gc.cuny.edu/lifelong-peer-learning-program
Brookfield Craft Center
The Brookfield Craft Center is dedicated to teaching traditional and contemporary craft skills and fostering the appreciation of fine craftsmanship. Learn and grow with our artistic community: