Happy Hanukkah!
Tomorrow, I’ll be the black lady talking about Hanukkah in the heart of Bavaria with the kinder at my daughters pre-school.
Am I Jewish? Sort of. As the saying goes, I’m ‘Jew-ish’. My stats:
Although I grew up in a completely secular family, my paternal grandmother was and identified as Jewish
When my father and aunts are asked what they ‘are’ or what their family religion is they have been known to answer “Jewish, I guess”
I spent my childhood in after school programs at the Hollywood-Los Feliz JCC (now known as the Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center). I spent many a Friday afternoon gulping down Hawaiian Punch and eating Cholla (Holla!) for Shabbat.
Growing up I probably went to more Hanukkah parties than Christmas parties
My step-mom is Jewish
While I’ve never hosted a seder, most years I celebrate Passover (more often than not at my friend Elyse’s with her super hippy-dippy Santa Cruz Haggadah)
Finally and perhaps most importantly, Larry David is my spirit animal
I like to think all of this makes me qualified for the job.
The International Pre-school that my daughter attends asked parents to share a holiday from their culture.
Thanksgiving was taken by one of the other Americans, It’s too cold to celebrate 4th of July. This was also pre-election and I didn’t feel confident about being ‘Rah-Rah USA!’ anytime in the near future.
The only thing left that I really felt culturally connected to was Hanukkah. I asked another American (and fellow Southern Californian) parent from the group:
“Is it weird if I do Hanukkah?”
“Are you kidding?” she replied, “I’m Catholic and I spent my entire youth going to Chrismakkah parties in The O.C., It’s totally our culture! Do it!”
For a split second I thought maybe I should do Kwaanza, seeing that I’m African-American and all. But the truth is I have never been to a Kwaanza party.
The closest I ever even came to hearing about one was in high-school when a friend of a friend was having one. The whole thing would have made me felt like a total imposter.
I’m generally a fan of scrambling cultural signals and Hanukkah makes me nostalgic for my upbringing in 1970s multi-culti Los Angeles.
So I decided Hanukkah it is! And in Germany, how can I not?