Now that the Chanukah holiday has ended and the Jewish community finds itself in a torrent of advertising adorned with red and green ribbons for the Christmas holiday, there are the usual questions about what we as Jews should do.
Ignoring the celebration is akin to not acknowledging the elephant at the rear of the room. There are suggestions from some quarters that we should put aside any religious differences we may entertain and support our local community-at-large in the spirit of the season.
Yet, there is the overarching point that we can never truly “celebrate” the holiday because of the fundamental philosophical difference between Judaism and Christianity. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be charitable and act kindly towards our Christian brethren.
In the Jewish tradition of social activism and chesed (kindness) there are several ways the local Jewish community can show our care and concern for the great majority of New Orleanians who are not members of our faith.
While eating Chinese food may seem like a good way to support the outside community, the fact is we can do a lot more good by filling the void of short-staffed organizations with us as personnel rather than filling our bellies. Volunteering to answer phone lines at hospitals or helping overworked staff at local community organizations that must remain open are good ways we can prove to be good neighbors. Several mitzvah projects are available through local synagogues and sponsoring organizations like the local Federation. Please check our calendar to see if any of these projects suit you. It doesn’t matter what you do, just that you do something.
