1. Don’t rely on miracles during Hanukkah
R.I. Jewish Historical Association
This Hanukkah, let’s celebrate in a meaningful way. True, kids expect presents, and marketers take full advantage of that fac t by forcing parents to buy into the
consumerism surrounding the holiday. However, a memorable observation of Hanukkah doesn’t have to be synonymous with spending. Why not engage your
children by making them feel good about themselves while simultaneously helping others? This doesn’t mean that you should abstain from gifts altogether –
merely that these gifts shouldn’t become the focus.
Rabbi Sarah Mack of Temple Beth-El suggests celebrating Hanukkah by exchanging presents during the first four nights and giving back during the next four. If
that’s too much for your little ones, you can reserve the eighth night for giving back. She says, “I think that the important thing is to find a way to
weav e tzedakah and g’milut hasadim into the holiday in a way that is organic to one’s own family life so kids know that you can’t have one without the other.”
Rabbi Elan Babchuck of Temple Emanu-El agrees with that sentiment. He says, “There is no better way for parents to convey the importance of giving back
than by pairing the experience of receiving Hanukkah gifts with a hands-on volunteer experience.” Babchuck suggests that parents “work with their kids to
create their own unique giving and volunteering traditions.”
Not sure to which organizations you should devote your time and funds? Read on to learn about the places our Rhode Island rabbis deem worthy. Below are
eight possibilities for making every night of Hanukkah count. L’ hayyim!
The Kesher Program, Jewish Family Service of Rhode Island, 959 North Main St., Providence.
Since 2007, in collaboration with the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, this program has been connecting communities and providing support for
congregations. Through partnerships with local synagogues, the program’s social workers offer their services – case management, information and referrals,
classroom observation, workshops, short-term counseling, support groups and family life education – free of charge to staff, synagogue committees and
members of synagogues with which JFSRI has established partnerships. They include Congregation Agudas Achim in Attleboro, Temple Torat Yisrael in East
Greenwich and Temple Am David in Warwick.
To support the program, call 401-331-1244.
Mitzvahs and Miracles. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence.
The Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island, in partnership with the Alliance, PJ Library and Camp JORI, is throwing this special Hanukkah party on
Dec, 17, from 4 to 7 p.m. to put “the miracle back in Hanukkah” by emphasizing the mitzvot, as their flier proclaims.
Michelle Cicchitelli, director of Jewish Life at the Alliance, explains that the purpose of the festivities is to help children realize that there is more to Hanukkah
than just presents, while also remembering that performing mitzvot is always a good time. She says, “This event will provide families an opportunity to help a
v ariety of people and causes in one location, while also rejoicing in the holiday of Hanukkah.” The fun will include eight social action activities f or all ages,
v olunteer opportunities, glitter tattoos for a cause, Hanukkah foods, live music from JCDS parent Rabbi Aaron Philmus and a cappella sensation Pastrami on
RI.
To adv ance the cause, please bring non-perishable kosher food items, clean, gently used coats and cans of cat/dog food. The suggested donation is $5.
The Fifth Night. Temple Beth Shalom, 670 Highland Ave., Needham, Mass. or Temple Shalom of Newton, 175 Temple St., West Newton, Mass.
Rabbi Babchuck suggests this organization as an aide to families “to frame the holiday in the light of tzedakah andg’milut hasadim.” An annual event that
teaches children to make a difference by donating one night’s Hanukkah gifts to their chosen charity. By learning about the families who will be receiving the

2. presents, kids understand and appreciate more fully the significance of their mitzvot. Also, because their tzedakah occurs in a group setting, their enthusiasm is
greater and their act of kindness – more rewarding.
Started by Robert and Rachel Glazer and Amy Finn – Needham parents – the Fifth Night extends the spirit of giving beyond family. Children contribute to the
benef it of their community. Now, other cities, such as Los Angeles and Chicago, have caught on to the idea, hosting their own events. If that sounds like
something you’d be interested in, email the founders at info@fifthnight.org.
Ask y our child to choose a gift for a child of the same age or gender and come to the free event. In Needham, it’s held on Dec. 18, 6:30-7:30 p.m. In Newton,
it’s held on Dec. 20, 4-5 p.m. Make sure you reserve tickets in advance. To register for either event, go to eventbrite.com and search for Fifth Night.
Crossroads Rhode Island. 160 Broad St., Providence.
Founded as Trav elers Aid of Rhode Island in 1894, the nonprofit changed its name in 2004. Crossroads is the largest homeless services organization in the
state. In addition to offering a place to sleep, the program ensures that folks in need gain independence as soon as possible.
Since holiday s are a particularly difficult time for the homeless, now is especially important to help them look forward to a better future. Your support would
f acilitate the organization in assisting the homeless to secure stability. Out of every dollar you donate, 80 cents goes directly to the Crossroads’ clients. The
f unds are used for necessities such as transportation, shoes, operating expenses for the Family Center, services at the Women’s Shelter, showers and kids’
winter clothing.
Other way s to help include: setting up a recurring donation and asking your employer to match it, volunteering, sponsoring an event, making a legacy gift or an
in-kind donation (soap, detergent, cleaner, sponges, mops, brooms, buckets, towels). Call 401-521-2255 or contact Ronny Figueroa
at RFigueroa@CrossroadsRI.org for more information.
Judy’s Kindness Kitchen. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence.
This 10-y ear-old Sunday soup kitchen is a nonprofit supported by grants and donations, providing warm kosher meals for Crossroads Rhode Island clients.
Judy Mandelbaum, a family therapist at what was the Jewish Board of Family Services, who died in 1980 at the age of 56 and for whom the kitchen is named,
was a legendary cook and a gracious host, according to the organization. Both, her father Murray Weber and her son Dr. David Mandelbaum – a current major
supporter, along with Vic Werber, – lived in Providence, nearly a hundred years apart.
Various groups collaborate on a joint goal – to ensure that people in need don’t go hungry. Rabbi Barry Dollinger of Congregation Beth Sholom is proud to say
that “Judy’s Kindness Kitchen is the most important program in our synagogue, actualizing the lessons of a God who kindly feeds us all by sharing the gift of
delicious f ood with those in need.”
Volunteers prepare vegetarian soup, and tuna and peanut butter sandwiches at Congregation Beth Sholom from 8:30 until 10 a.m. They serve the food at the
Crossroads’ downtown location from 10:30 until 11:30 a.m. The organization seeks to emulate patriarch Abraham, whose tent had four entrances, offering relief
f rom every side. If you would like to volunteer, please email the coordinator at JudysKindnessKitchen@gmail.com. Those wishing to donate may send checks
to Judy ’s Kindness Kitchen c/o Congregation Beth Sholom.
Southside Community Land Trust.109 Somerset St., Providence.
This nationally recognized leader in agriculture provides access to land education and resources to residents of Greater Prov idence, allowing them to grow food
in env ironmentally sustainable ways. Local healthy and affordable produce is possible through urban production.
The organization succeeds by: teaching people to grow food, as well as locate, secure in trust and manage land; providing resources, skills and markets;
of f ering support in a community that emphasizes sharing; modeling programs and practices. Through simple technology and renewable resources, abandoned
lots, parks, farms and landscapes are transformed into gardens. No spot is too small – even backyards and rooftops are used to grow food.
If y ou’d like to support SCLT’s initiatives, send a check to the address above. To contribute by volunteering, become an educator, translate content, perform
of f ice tasks, offer graphic design services, staff a table at an event or put up posters, contact Michelle at michelle@southsideclt.org or fill out a form on
southsideclt.org/volunteering.
People’s Power & Light. 2 Regency Plaza, Suite 8, Providence.
Rhode Island’s nonprofit advocate for consumers and the environment has been making energy more affordable and sustainable fo r more than 30 years. Their
discount heating oil service boasts 14,000 members, and their Green Power programs – New England Wind FundSM, which supports development of
community wind turbines, and New England Green StartSM – enable 7,000 members to choose electricity from local renewable sources. Unlike fossil fuels and
nuclear power, the organization argues that these resources are better for the environment.
The organization’s charitable programs offer heating assistance to those Rhode Islanders who need it the most. Together with Mass Energy Consumers
Alliance, PP&L comprises the Energy Consumers Alliance of New England.
If y ou would like to be a climate hero, arrange your volunteering opportunity by calling Priscilla at 401-861-6111 or emailing her at Priscilla@RIPower.org.
Fair Trade Gelt Campaign. kavana.org
Rabbi Aaron Philmus of Temple Torat Yisrael suggested this cause. Since it’s customary for children to receive chocolate gelt as a Hanukkah treat, this time of
y ear offers a great opportunity to familiarize them with fair-trade practices and make them aware that not all chocolate is produced in conscionable ways. This
campaign is a reminder of hard-won freedom and a chance to prevent trafficking of young children who are forced to work on cocoa farms with zero pay in
unsaf e conditions in the Ivory Coast.
By supporting Kuapa Kokoo, a fair-trade cooperative in Ghana with 65,000 members, who are co-owners of Divine Chocolate, you would be sustaining the only
f air-trade chocolate company owned by its farmers. Its practices allow people to receive a better price for their cocoa, provide an additional financial premium to
inv est in their community and maintain improved working conditions.
If y ou would like to further the cause, you can write a letter to your local store, requesting that they sell fair-trade chocolate. For a large-scale project, organize a
f air-trade chocolate tasting, during which you can show “The Dark Side of Chocolate,” a documentary that can be purchased on FairtradeJudaica.org, along
with a comprehensive event-planning guide, handouts, resources, activities and contact information.
As Talmud instructs, don’t rely on miracles – support the causes that are important to you. Rabbi Naftali Karp believes that this is the essential idea of
Hanukkah. He says, “A small group of people did not give up and did whatever they could, and God acted in response, and things worked out.”
IRINA MISSIURO is a writer and editorial consultant for The Jewish Voice.

3. Continue family traditions with a little help from PJ Library
When y ou think back on your childhood, one of the first memories that likely pops into your head is cuddling in bed with mom and dad while they read bedtime
stories to you until you doze off. It’s the moment that little ones wait for the entire day – the parent’s attention is focused on them, undivided and whole. Most of
the time, it’s the parent who selects the books, subtly influencing the child’s tastes, steering him toward particular topics, authors and genres.
Of ten, parents deliberate the choice of book at length before deciding to share it – they know that they’ll probably be reading that same book more than once, or
10 times, to be realistic. After all, when children fall in love with a story, they want to hear it over and over, discovering novel nuances upon each reading.
Sometimes, the parents learn as well, depending on how tired they are. But no matter how exhausted mom and dad are, they make time for the practice
because reading to kids is their way of passing on traditions to the next generation – the same approach their parents used to instill love of reading and
literature in them.
During Hanukkah, children are more attuned to rituals, so it’s particularly important to carry on the nighttime reading to your little ones. What if you didn’t have
to spend the time figuring out which selections are worthy of your child? Bonding with your son or daughter might be a better way to use those minutes. Luckily,
PJ Library ’s latest holiday offerings are terrific. In Rhode Island, 527 children look forward to opening their mailboxes every month to discover the stories and
music to fall in love with next. Some Hanukkah favorites from recent years included Maxine Rose Schur’s “The Peddler’s Gift,” which won the 1999 Sydney
Tay lor Award f or Younger Readers, and Eric Kimmel’s “Hanukkah Bear,” a recipient of the 2013 National Jewish Book Award for Illustrated Children’s Books.
This season, Barbara Brown’s “Hanukkah in Alaska,” a 2014 Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Younger Readers award recipient, steals the show.
If y our children are between the ages of 6 months and six years old, and you’d like to enroll them in this Jewish literacy and engagement program, you may do
so at no charge. Email Michelle Cicchitelli, director of Jewish Life at the Alliance, at MCicchitelli@JewishAllianceRI.org or call her at 401-421-4111, ext. 178. Or,
y ou can log on to pjlibrary.org and fill out the enrollment form, making sure to select RI as your community (it includes parts of southeastern Massachusetts).
Cicchitelli suggests that you also follow PJ Library Rhode Island on Facebook and subscribe to their monthly newsletter to learn about PJ Story Time
happenings and f amily activities throughout the state.
IRINA MISSIURO is a writer and editorial consultant for The Jewish Voice.