Another Holiday? Jews Camping? What is this all about?

I am just not good at being a consistent blogger.  I just can't seem to get it together- which pretty much sums up all aspects of my life right now.  

Anyway, you may know it is the last day of Sukkot (rhymes with coat) although most Jewish multi-day Jewish holidays it is really celebrated towards the beginning of the week, most likely last Friday after sunset.   But here's the down and dirty anyway:

• Sukkot is an 8 day holiday coming 5 days after Yom Kippur.  
• It's a happy holiday- but no work on the first and second day.  
• It commemorates the 40 year period that Jews wandered the dessert living in temporary shelters.  Hence the sukkah.
• Traditions include building a sukkah, eating (really living in the sukkah for the 8 days but now most just eat a meal in it to fulfill the commandment) and waving the lulav and etrog. 
• Sukkahs must have at least 2.5 walls covered but they do not have to be solid walls (sheets and canvas will do).  The roof must be made of material that came from the ground and was cut off- branches, vines even 2x4's apparently count.  Traditionally, dry fruit is hung to decorate it.   
• Lulav- is a bundle of 3 myrtle twigs, a palm branch and 2 willow branches.  Etrog is a kind of citron.  These are waved in very particular way (lulav in right hand first, then etrog in left then bundled together all while saying specific prayers and facing specific directions- East, then South, then North etc.)
• The 2 days after Sukkot are Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.
• Shemini Atzeret translates to "assembly on the 8th day" and while it is related to Sukkot is technically its own holiday.  
• Simchat Torah marks the completion of the weekly Torah readings- there's lots of singing and processions around Temple carrying the Torah scrolls. 

Here's a cute idea to make your own miniature Sukkah with the kids:

• Take a box and cut on of the long sides off of it. 
• Cut slots on the bottom of the box- this will be your roof.
• Using thread, fishing wire or twine, thread leaves and twigs through the slots. 
• Decorate the other sides with dried fruit or whatever you want.  

Let me know how yours turn out!

Yom Kippur

Technically Yom Kippur started last night so I am a little behind.  But here's the down and dirty of the holiday:

• Yom Kippur comes ten days after Rosh Hashanah and is the ending to the "High Holidays."   It is a time for reflection, repentance and fasting.   
  
• It's a day of prayer and reflection, repentance and fasting
• Fasting starts the night before it's marked on secular calendars, also known as Kol Nidre.
• You break the fast with family and friends. 
• Traditionally, a live white chicken would be circled above your head while you ask for forgiveness for your sins.  Then you would slaughter the chicken and give it to the poor.  Charity work can be substituted now days.
• It's a day for doing a mitzvah or other good deed.   
• No working, and services last most of the day.  Many synagogues will charge for these services since they are so busy- this is a new thing for us gentiles.   
• When pronouncing Yom Kippur it should rhyme with poor not dipper.  

Some activities you can do with your family-

• Write letters to yourself explaining ways you will be a better person in the upcoming year.   If your kids are too young to write their own letter you could go around the table and say something outloud. 
• If you are a little flexible in how you are observing Yom Kippur or want to do it the days leading up to Yom Kippur, you could volunteer together as a family. 
• Make your own Tzedakah box, ("piggy bank" to give to charity) out of a shoe box.  Let the little ones decorate it with anything you have around the house- markers, glitter, paint yarn, Stars of David from tin foil.  

Enjoy the break fast! 

L'shanah Tovah!

Happy New Year!  Hope this year is full of successful potty training, fewer lost sippy cups, no throw up flu and lots of laughter!  Actually, I think that's what I am wishing for myself- but you too!   

In all seriousness I hope you have a wonderful New Year full of blessings and joy! 

One more reason to craft...

I love doing crafts. I have always loved me an afternoon full of creating something semi-useful out of socks, Popsicle sticks or some other random thing. Of course now it has advanced a little and I use a sewing machine or canvas and paint but the point is I love to create and frequently wish I had enough talent to be able to live off my crafting.

Soooo.....imagine how excited I was to find there are crafts for the Jewish holidays too! Here are a couple of ideas for Rosh Hashanah to help spur your creativity. But first, a couple of things to remember about Rosh Hashanah for all the gentiles out there.

1. Rosh Hashanah celebrates the New Year. It literally translates into the "first of the year." It's a time for introspection, reflection on the past year and resolutions to do things better in the new year.

2. A shofar, or Ram's horn is blown in temple three different ways but totalling a hundred notes. Each of the three ways means something different. As a result the Shofar is a symbol of Rosh Hashanah.

3. It is tradition to eat apples dipped in honey- a symbol of wishing sweetness for the new year.

4. L'shanah tovah is what is said- meaning "good year."

Apple cards- Yes, there are Happy New Cards you can buy and send but that's no fun.
Cut an apple in half and dip the flat side in some paint. On a folded sheet of paper (the
thicker the better) press the apple to create your design. You can put L'shanah tovah on the
inside or your own greeting.

Blow your own Shofar- Save a paper towel tube and use string, markers, paint or whatever
you have around the house to decorate your Shofar. Practice blowing it the three different
ways.

Coloring Pages- Ok, this isn't really a craft but is an easy thing to do occupy the kids for 5 more minutes. Download coloring book pages from the internet (just google Rosh Hashanah coloring pages and several will pop up) and let your kids go to town. You could even have them do a couple of pages and staple them together to create their own book about Rosh Hashanah.

Happy crafting and L'shanah tovah!

A new beginning

The high holidays are just around the corner and what great timing to start this blog fresh!

I have realized that there are really two things going on with this blog. 1) Catholic mom trying to raise her half-Jewish children to know and appreciate both religions and 2) A nice Catholic girl trying to be a good Shiksa wife.

Soooo....I will be adding a new blog. This blog (shiksamom) will be more about the Mom thing and will include other mom adventures- not just the ones involving religion and the other goodshiksawife.blogspot.com will be about my personal journey in learning about the Jewish faith and culture and the challenges and celebrations I have trying to be a good shiksa wife. I will post at least once a week on both and hope you will leave comments, exchange in dialogue and make it more than me talking to myself- and thus more interesting.

Thanks for following our crazy, mixed up family and talk to you soon. Gotta get make plans for Rosh Hashana!

Perfect planning

So despite my desire to have perfect, memorable holidays both Passover and Easter fell a little short this year- which is probably just God reminding me whose really in charge. Travel schedules and time with the non-Jewish grandmother led to Noah and I missing Passover dinner with Seth's family, which of course was disappointing. Then, unexpected circumstances left us with our niece and nephew on Holy Saturday night until 1 on Sunday. Three children 2 and under made mass seem impossible (although I know there are those of you who do it and you have my full admiration) and family dinner at my Grandmother's was out of the picture too. So instead, we spent Easter with a house full of kids, showing our niece from the Jewish side of the family her first and maybe last Easter Egg hunt, a beautiful walk around the block, resting from a cold that hit me Friday and getting work done around the house. Probably not God's plans for an ideal Holy week, nor were they really mine either but we're still thankful for the holy miracles and gifts both holidays represent and something we should be celebrating everyday anyway. Until next year...when we will be fully donned in our Easter bonnets and the kids are searching for the Afikoman we will have to settle for chicken soup with matzoh balls and a chocolate bunny or two.

P is for Passover and Party?

I have always loved a party. I love attending parties. I love throwing parties. I love big, themed, parties. I love small dinner parties. If party is in the event title I love it.

I also have this burning desire, like all parents, to provide a better childhood to my children than I had. Given my childhood it won't take much. However, it's more than that for me. I crave the family traditions and memories that I didn't have. Not just for my kids but for me. I know this isn't reality but nothing would make me happier than being able to have a "Lifetime" movie Thanksgiving or other holiday. You know what I am talking about- a huge, beautifully arranged table, full of wonderful food with all of our friends and family laughing heartily. Of course, minus the cheating husband and random relative with the deep dark secret that frequent so many of the Lifetime movies.

So this where I struggle with our family and the holidays. With my family's holidays (or at least the big 3- Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas) we know where we are going, who will be there and who will bring what weeks if not months in advance. Yet, to me, there is often a spiritual side that is missing. Thanksgiving doesn't seem quite thankful enough, Christmas loses the Christ part sometimes- you know what I mean. It becomes m0re about who will be there and what we will eat than anything else. So as our own family Seth and I try to add those spiritual components in.

It's not quite like that with our Jewish side. We often don't know where we will celebrate or who will be there until the week before- which of course is fine. It's just a shock to the system of this girl who is always looking for a party and always trying to create a family tradition or memory that her kids will re-tell to their children.

As an outsider, I also feel like the holiday doesn't matter as much because there is not as big a to do about it. It's also hard for me to grab the spiritual side of it since I am really just trying to keep up with the readings and remember which holiday means what.

I know it might always be like this and I am pretty sure Christmas midnight mass doesn't mean as much to my husband as it does to me. We just need to make sure that no matter how we celebrate the holidays or who is there that we truly remember what we're celebrating or remembering. What's most important is that we take the time, whether with the whole family or just our little interfaith clan to reflect on why that day means so much- whether we are having a big family get together or just a last minute potluck.

Who knows maybe next year I will have a Passover Party with a gefilte fish toss- you can't convince me anyone really likes eating those slimy little things anyway.