Christmas Eve

Temple Beth Zion

Eight Crazy Nights

Hanukkah and Christmas align this year. People vary their spelling of the holiday and imbue it with different levels of importance. The evolution of the Festival of Lights in America is actually a very interesting immigrant tale. The five day Hindu holiday of Pancha Ganapati, Dec. 21, followed a similar path of increasing importance in the United States faced with the ever increasing commercialization of Christmas by their Christian brethren. Last year, Malwid, the celebration of the birth  of the Islamic Prophet Mohamed fell on December 24 in the States. Kwanzaa will start on the 26th. A shout out to all the polytheists, Druids, Wiccans, ancient Greeks and Romans, who started it all with their Solstices and what not. Hey atheists, we didn't forget you god-forsaken lot. Happy Newtonmas. I understand the idol worship of the great  man of science but he himself was far from godless, studying theology more than science. He was in fact inspired by his belief system to endeavor to explain the mysteries of nature. Regardless of your beliefs, may we all, as a human family, find some peace.