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Kislev/Dec: What Brings You Light?

Chanukah menorah
Door Tori Egherman
Kislev: The Miracle of Hannukah In the spirit of the season, this newsletter throws off the yoke of the the tyrant, Spellcheck. Yes, we are embracing the chaotic spelling of Chanoekah! No two times alike!

And while we joke, it really is in the spirit of the season. Xanookah is a time where history, myth, and reform overlap. It’s when we celebrate the miracle of the oil.

As Rav Jeremy says, “The miracle of Channukah is that we celebrate the oil lasting eight days, rather than the violence of zealots.”

The Chanakah story is a complicated one, which few of us ever come to terms with. Instead of reflecting on the schisms in the ancient Hebrews, we eat latkes, light candles, and spin dreidels. All of these thoughts bring us to the biggest controversy of recent years: applesauce or sour cream? (Google it if you want a good laugh…)
Kislev/December: at a glance

Nov 26: Havdalah meditations in Amsterdam

Nov 28: Face-to-face chevrutah session for Het Joods Manifest

Dec 7: Mokum Deelt Dapper: inclusie en intersectionaliteit binnen de joodse gemeenschappen in Amsterdam

Dec 10: Havdalah meditations in Den Haag!!

Dec 18: Online discussion about being Jewish in the Netherlands for Het Joods Manifest!

For details of Oy Vey events, check our events page. And find out more about Het Joods Manifest/The Jewish Manifesto, on our other website.
What brings light into your life?

That’s the question we are asking ourselves as we head into this month of long nights.

We invite you to answer it with us on December 23, during our Channukah Shabbat in Amsterdam Oost. Chaja (a fierce Jewish queer climate activist supreme!) will alchemize the evening into a beautifully messy, gezellige chanoeka/shabbat. Just what you need.

Register now!
A Message from Oy Vey-er, Eden Goldberg

Hi everyone, my name is Eden Goldberg, 26 years old and secularly Jewish. For some time now I have been searching for what this Jewish part of my identity means, and I had the feeling this personal question doesn’t just belong to me! I think this search might speak to a broader generational story about a secular Dutch Jewish experience. A story, I think, Oy Vey is part of.

So here I am, reaching out to you about my master thesis research about this experience! I will do research through the making of a film, in search of Jewishness. And I hope to do this in collaboration with my (yet to meet) Jewish peers! A film project with/about other Jews and myself that want to give meaning to their Jewishness together. If you want to hear more about it, please reach out! I’m really happy to talk to you: eden-goldberg@hotmail.com