Light the menorah and spin the dreidel with the East Valley JCC
Hanukkah is the Jewish holiday that celebrates freedom and miracles. Each year, Jews around the world light the first candle on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, which corresponds roughly to somewhere between Nov. 28 and Dec. 26 on the Gregorian calendar.
For eight nights, the Hanukkah menorah is lit, adding one candle each night and lit by the helper candle, the shamash. Hanukkah is a time for family and it is a fun one to celebrate with the children.
The East Valley JCC has many activities planned during the week of Hanukkah, which begins this year at sundown on Sunday, Dec. 6, and lasts through sundown on Monday, Dec. 14.
The entire community is invited to join in the following programs; all programs are at the East Valley JCC, 908 N. Alma School Rd., Chandler, except the event on Dec. 6.
• Hanukkah at Whole Foods: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6. Join the congregation at Whole Foods, 2955 W. Ray Rd., Chandler, for storytime at 3:15 p.m., a Hanukkah sing-along at 4 p.m., food tasting at 4:15 p.m. and a Hanukah menorah lighting at 5 p.m. PJ Library will coordinate the storytime as well as provide art projects for children to complete at the store.
• Dreidel Spin-Off: 11:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 7. Please join our prekindergarten classes for a fun Dreidel spin off.
• Singing with the Seniors: 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8. Join the terrific Tuesdays group for a fun Hanukkah sing-along with our Threes and Fours classes.
Spirituality
Experience Hanukkah with Hanukkah Wonderland
• Hanukkah Menorah Lighting and Give Back to the Community: 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9. Join the group to light the candles for the third day of Hanukkah and bring a donation for Child Crisis Center. The December community service project includes collecting items for coping skills’ bags as well as diapers and wipes. Even if you are not able to join for the Hanukkah Menorah lighting, the congregation encourages you to dedicate this night of Hanukkah to someone else and help the project.
• Hanukkah: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10. The multipurpose room will be set up like a wonderful Hanukkah carnival. Children will go with their classes to the event and enjoy all the activities. RSVP by Dec. 7.
• Hanukkah Kabbalat Shabbat: 9:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 11. Join the group in welcoming the Jewish Sabbath Hanukkah style. The event will be filled with songs and dancing.
For more information about any of these events or to learn more about the East Valley JCC, a NAEYC accredited, Quality First, 4 star site, contact Pam Morris, Early Childhood Education director, (480) 897-0588 or pam@evjcc.org.
Times change. Not so long ago, celebrating Hanukkah meant some latkes, a few spins of the dreidel, some songs and, of course, the menorah. A jelly doughnut or two and some gelt, if you’re lucky.
Now, the children of the Valley get to visit the annual Hanukkah Wonderland and experience the holiday with their families in a fun and meaningful way. Families are encouraged to bring an unwrapped gift for a toy drive for children with special needs.
Hanukkah Wonderland, a project of Chabad of the East Valley, will open its doors on Sunday, Dec. 6, at the Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life 875 N. McClintock, Chandler. Children and adults can experience Hanukkah through an intriguing hands-on olive press demonstration, a Hanukkah Donut Bar, authentic Israeli cuisine and more.
Hanukkah is highlighted by the kindling of the menorah each night of the holiday.
“It is a holiday that enriches our lives
with the light of tradition,” said Rabbi Mendy Deitsch, director of Chabad of the East Valley.
“In ancient times our ancestors rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem with the menorah. Today, we rededicate ourselves to making this world a better and brighter place.”
Hanukkah also propagates the universal message that ultimately good will prevail over evil, freedom over oppression and light over darkness.
As part of the Hanukkah outreach campaign, Chabad of the East Valley joins thousands of Chabad Centers across the globe that stage similar public displays of the menorah. From Australia to Africa, Colombia to Hong Kong, New York City’s Ground Zero to the White House lawn, hundreds of thousands will experience the joy of Hanukkah with Chabad.
For more information and schedule of special activities contact Chabad of the East Valley at (480) 855-4333 or visit www. chabadcenter.com.
Outlet center hosting Grand Hanukkah
Menorah Lighting and Fire Show
Each year Chabad of the East Valley takes Hanukkah to the next level. This year will be no different as the center is hosting the Menorah Lighting celebration at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9, at Phoenix Premium Outlets in Chandler.
The celebration combines ancient traditions with a unique and modern twist. A giant 9-foot menorah will be lit and the public is invited to enjoy a donutdipping bar while listening to two local children’s choirs—The Chabad Hebrew School Choir and the Desert Jewish Academy Choir. A fire show will conclude the evening.
This event is open to the public and
each child will receive a free gift. Phoenix Premium Outlets is located at 4976 Premium Outlets Way, Chandler. For more information, call (480) 855-4333.
WEDNESDAY:
DivorceCare meets on Mondays
DivorceCare, a Biblically based support and recovery group for separated, divorcing and divorced adults, meets Mondays from 6:30p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Chandler United Methodist Church, 450 E. Chandler Heights Rd., Chandler, in room 111.
DivorceCare consists of 13 weekly sessions, each covering a different topic including emotional, financial, children
and other aspects of healing from the divorce process.
Linda and Bruce Faber have experienced the pain of divorce and have been facilitators for 11 years. This is a caring, supportive and confidential group. People may join the group at any time. The cost is $20 for a workbook. For more information, call (480) 821-0952 or email Lhfaber@cox.net.
Chai Judaica and Gifts now open
Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life has opened Chai Judaica and Gifts. The store, dubbed the “perfect place to find the perfect gift,” carries Mezuzot, books, religious items and jewelry.
The store is located at the Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life at 875 N. McClintock Dr., Chandler, and the gift shop hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays,
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; by appointment only on Wednesdays; and 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. Sundays. For more information, contact the center at (480) 855-4333 or info@ chabadcenter.com, or visit www. chabadcenter.com.
Shop early at Epiphany Lutheran Church’s boutique
Epiphany Lutheran Church’s holiday boutique and bake sale is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at the church, 800 W. Ray Rd., Chandler.
More than 20 vendors will have holiday items available for purchase, including quilts and blankets, Norwex, Partylite Candles, Scentsy, Tastefully
Simple, Pampered Chef, Avon, Mary Kay, jewelry, stained glass, wood crafts and other handcrafted items. Baked goods will also be available for purchase. The public is invited to attend.
For more information, call (480) 9636105.
VUU celebrates the holidays
Valley Unitarian Universalist congregation provides a welcoming diverse community that nurtures each person’s lifelong spiritual journey, creates a place of peace and celebration and strives for social justice and sustainable living—that includes during the holidays.
The congregation has set up a variety of events through the New Year. See below for a list of some of the programs.
VUU is located at 6400 W. Del Rio St. in Chandler. For information, call (480) 899-4249; check out the Facebook page at Valley Unitarian Universalist congregation, Chandler AZ; or visit www. vuu.org.
Hear the story of “Three Wise Women” at the VUU’s annual Holiday Pageant at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 13.
Adapted by an area woman, Kelsie Beaudoin, the play is based on the book of the same name by Mary Hoffman. Beaudoin is VUU Religious Education assistant.
The story incorporates the symbols of the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone into the familiar story of Jesus’ birth. The star calls a young woman away from her bread making in the west, a mother with her baby son from the south, and a grandmother from storytelling in the
east, to witness the birth of Jesus. All are welcome to the multigenerational worship service.
The Longest Night Service: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17
The holiday season is often hectic, and can be an especially difficult time for many people. The Longest Night Service is for those struggling with grief, the loss of a loved one, divorce, illness, depression, job loss or other issues, or who are just overwhelmed by the chaos of the season. This quiet, calming service in the Sanctuary is a safe time where mixed emotions can be acknowledged, and peace, comfort and hope brought into the lives of those in need. All are welcome.
Christmas Eve Services: 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 24
There are two Christmas Eve services at Valley Unitarian Universalist this season. Both feature the Rev. Andy Burnette speaking. The 7 p.m. service also features gifts of music, dance or the spoken word from school-age children and carols sung by all. The 9 p.m. service has candlelight and carols, and the Adult Choir will sing several pieces featuring string instruments. Attendees are encouraged to bring cookies to share between the two services.
Sun Lakes UMC reimburses cab
rides
to holiday events
Sun Lakes United Methodist Church has a full lineup of Christmas events, and it doesn’t want anyone to miss out on its programs for lack of transportation.
In December, anyone who uses a cab service to attend one or more of the church’s Christmas programs will be reimbursed, compliments of SLUMC. Congregants can take cabs to any of the following holiday events, then mail in their cab receipts with their name and address to the church office at 9248 E. Riggs Rd., Sun Lakes, for reimbursement. For more information, call (480) 895-8766.
Upcoming events include:
• Cookie Walk, 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, in Lindsay Hall. Fill an empty box, which is provided, with your choice of homemade cookies for the holidays for $10.
• Chandler Symphony Holiday Concert,
3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, in the church sanctuary. Chandler Symphony Holiday presents “Deck the Holidays with CSO.” Tickets are $10 at the church office.
• Sun Lakes Chorale Holiday Concert, 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, in the church sanctuary. Tickets are $10 and available at ACE Hardware Sun Lakes only on Tuesdays.
• Chancel Choir’s Christmas Cantata “The Mystery and the Majesty,” 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, and 8:15 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, in the church sanctuary. This performance is free.
• Christmas Eve Candlelight Services, 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. with the Chancel Choir and 7 p.m. with special music, both of which are in the church sanctuary.
Spiritual Reflections
Keep to the path: in response to vandalism
BY THE REV. ANDY BURNETTE, VALLEY UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION
About a week ago, Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation (VUU) joined Unitarian Universalist congregations around the country in displaying a “Black Lives Matter” banner on our campus.
Our banner symbolizes our support for the Black Lives Matter movement. It is a small part of our congregation’s burgeoning work on race and ethnicity.
We are ramping up our efforts in light of the deaths of so many African Americans at the hands of police, the disproportionate rate of imprisonment of young African-American men, and, more generally, the racism that persists in the American system. Dozens of our members signed the banner, including many of our children, as a symbol of their individual support.
Two days later, the word “Black” was papered over with “All,” and several signs reading “All Lives Matter,” made with paper and permanent marker, were taped up around our campus. When the signs were removed, the word “All” was spray-painted over the word “Black” on our banner. You can see the vandalism in the photo.
Then, the banner was stolen, and we filed a police report.
This crime reminds us that work for justice is often unpopular. It leads me to the following few thoughts:
Vandalism of a banner pales in comparison to the theft and destruction of black bodies in the United States. The Washington Post reported that an unarmed black man is killed by police every nine days. Some argue the Post
under-reported the numbers. Forty percent of people incarcerated in the United States are black Americans, and about 50 percent of the women incarcerated are black, while only 13 percent of the U.S. population is black, according to the latest Census data. According to Unlock America and the NAACP, if Hispanics and blacks were jailed at the same rate as whites, the U.S. prison population would decrease by 50 percent. We will not confuse our very minor incidents with the real issues.
All lives matter? Yes...and no. Some say “Black Lives Matter” singles out blacks in a way that devalues other lives. Not so. Truly we believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every single person. VUU has done work around immigration, homelessness and LGBT rights, to name but a few issues. But black lives have been singled out for abuse in our country. They were separated from their families and marched across the south to be sold as farm implements, denied the right to vote, killed and beaten bloody during the civil rights era, and are still oppressed today, as the above statistics show. Maybe we will know that all lives matter when we can proclaim that black lives matter without controversy. We must keep the goal in mind. As stated in the Black Lives Matter guiding principles: “We are committed to collectively, lovingly and courageously working vigorously for freedom and justice for black people and, by extension, all people. As we forge our path, we intentionally build and nurture a beloved community that is bonded together through a beautiful struggle that is restorative, not depleting.” The goal is love and justice, but
the work is anything but easy. It wasn’t easy in the days of the Underground Railroad, it wasn’t easy in the civil rights era, and it isn’t easy now. But we are called by Unitarian Universalist values to continue, and over time to deepen, our witness for justice.
Black Lives Matter co-founder Opal Tometi wrote earlier this year in Huffington Post, “Many thought that the abolition of slavery, the end of Jim Crow and the legislative progress of the civil rights era, among other watershed moments, would have fundamentally done away with the racist structures that have long oppressed black people. However, we know that has been far from the case. There’s been persistent and concerted effort to erode the gains of the black liberation struggles throughout the years, hindering black progress.” Replacing these structures (like the justice and prison structures) with systems which truly value black lives is the work before us. We look to people of color for leadership. It will not be easy. It will not be quick. But let us have courage and keep to the path.”
Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation provides a welcoming diverse community that nurtures each person’s lifelong spiritual journey, creates a place of peace and celebration and strives for social justice and sustainable living. Within this liberal religion, VUU members seek to create lives of integrity, service and joy. VUU is located at 6400 W. Del Rio St. in Chandler. For information, call (480) 899-4249; check out the Facebook page at Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Chandler AZ; or visit www.vuu.org.
Spiritual Reflections
Share your spiritual reflections
The spiritual leaders of SanTan Sunarea churches, temples, mosques and other religious and spiritual gathering places are invited to contribute their Spiritual Reflections in essay format by sending their thoughts, enlightening insights and other writings of a spiritual nature to news@ santansun.com.
Be certain to put “Spiritual Reflections submission” in the subject line. Include your first and last name, title and facility name, address, phone number and website. Spiritual Reflections are printed on a space-available basis, and submission does not guarantee print. The opinions represented in this column are those of the author and not those of the SanTan Sun News.
VUU’s Black Lives Matter sign was recently vandalized. Submitted photo
Community invited to SLJC’s Hanukkah Shabbat service
The Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation will celebrate Hanukkah with a Shabbat service at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11. In honor of the holiday, a special Oneg will follow. Other 7:30 p.m. Shabbat services include:
• Jan. 8: Installation of congregational board, officers and committees
• Feb. 12: Service honoring Sisterhood
• March 11: Service honoring choir, Interfaith and Hadassah
• April 8: Yom HaShoah observance
• May 13: Service honoring Men’s Club
• June 10: Annual healing service and rabbi’s Bar Mitzvah year.
The Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation is an established reform congregation that meets at the Sun Lakes Chapel on the second Friday of the month. Services allow the congregants to meet new people, connect with Judaism and learn. New attendees are invited to be introduced at the service and members of the congregation connect with these attendees.
Oneg Shabbats are held immediately after services at Sun Lakes Country Club. Everyone is invited to attend.
As part of its membership drive, SLJC is forming several new Chavarah. This is a chance for new members to get to meet other congregants with similar interests or hobbies. A singles group is forming as well. Those interested in starting a group can contact Wende Levy at WLevy@his.com.
In other SLJC events, the Chandler Symphony Orchestra will perform at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, at Sun
Lakes United Methodist Church, 9248 E. Riggs Rd. The concert benefits Neighbors Who Care and is supported by the Interfaith Council, of which SLJC is a member. Included in the program will be a special performance by Shea Marshall featuring klezmer music. Tickets are $10. Tickets can be purchased at the Sun Lakes Methodist Church office and on the day of the performance.
Sisterhood sets meeting date
The next meeting of the Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation Sisterhood is 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, in the Chapel Center.
A 10-year Chandler Police Department employee, Dan Shellum will speak about his move to Arizona to pursue a law enforcement career. He earned a master’s of criminal justice from ASU and, as part of his program, he studied counterterrorism in Israel.
At the meeting, donations to Toys from the Heart are appreciated.
Dues are $25 until Jan. 1; after which they go up to $30. Payments can be sent to Phyllis, at 3495 E. County Down Dr., Chandler, 85249.
This year’s card party is forthcoming, but there are more donors to honor from last year including: Alan J. Discont, Salon Karizma, Pamela Schauer, Jennie DePreist, Michael’s Creative Jewelry, Scottsdale Pet Hotel/Laura Weissman, Southwest Medical Dermatology Inc., Arizona Family Dental, Barmar Inc., Energy Savings Group, Albertsons, Safeway and Chandler Car & Driver.
CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS AT VUU!
Bring your family to enjoy a variety of holiday offerings at the Valley Unitarian Universalist (VUU) Congregation in December. All are free and open to the public.
3:00
“Three Wise Women” pageant
10:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 13
Hear the story of “Three Wise Women” at the VUU’s Annual Holiday Pageant
The story incorporates the symbols of the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone into the familiar story of Jesus’ birth. The star calls a young woman away from her bread making in the west, a mother with her baby son from the south, and a grandmother from story telling in the east, to witness the birth of Jesus. Written by Mary Hoff man, it’s adapted for VUU by VUU Religious Education Assistant Kelsie Beaudoin.
All are welcome to the multi-generational worship service.
“The Longest Night Service” 7-9 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 17
The holiday season is often hectic, and can be an especially diffi cult time for many people. The Longest Night Service is for those struggling with grief, the loss of a loved one, divorce, illness, depression, job loss or other issues, or who are just overwhelmed by the chaos of the season. This quiet, calming service in the Sanctuary is a safe time where mixed emotions can be acknowledged, and peace, comfort and hope brought into the lives of those in need. All are welcome.
There are two Christmas Eve services at VUU this season, both featuring the Rev. Andy Burnette speaking. The 7 p.m. service also features gifts of music, dance or the spoken word from school-age children and carols sung by all. The 9 p.m. service has candle light and carols, and the Adult Choir will sing several pieces featuring string instruments. Attendees are encouraged to bring cookies to share between the two services.
Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation provides a welcoming diverse community that nurtures each person’s life-long spiritual journey, creates a place of peace and celebration and strives for social justice and sustainable living. Within this liberal religion, VUU members seek to create lives of integrity, service and joy.
VUU is located at 6400 W. Del Rio St. in Chandler. For information, call 480-899-4249; check out the Facebook page at Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Chandler AZ; or visit www.vuu.org.
INFO: 480-899-4249
Check out the Facebook page at Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Chandler AZ
