Candle 6: Dedication

By Rabbi David Teutsch

Night 1: Print and use our 'action dreidel'

Our action dreidel (better known as a fortune teller or in some areas a cootie catcher) is a fun way to prompt conversations, reflects and action throughout hanukkah.

Night 2: A Georgia miracle?

J Street is all-in on the Georgia runoffs, and we have a number of ways J Street members can help support Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.

Night 3: Help illuminate your community with J Street programming

If you belong to a synagogue, contact your rabbi or the head of the programming committee about bringing in a J Street speaker for a panel or presentation on the conflict and peacemaking efforts. Your J Street regional director can provide more information.

Night 4: Speaking of gifting...

This is a season for gifting, and gifts from J Street's store make great gifts for the activists on your list. You can also make a gift in someone's honor and we'll notify them of your generous donation.

Night 5: Invite others to find their inner hero

The J Street National Conference is a place where we here from a number of inspiring leaders and heroic activists. It's also a place where participants can learn how to become leaders in their communities and drive meaningful change. Tonight we encourage you to invite 3 people to the conference (and register if you haven't!)

Night 6: Issues that will require our dedication in the year ahead

In the final days of the Trump administration, PM Netanyahu is moving forward with construction in Givat Hamatos, a move which would severely damage prospects for renewed diplomacy toward a two-state solution. Blocking this act in 2021 will be an important part of our work.

Night 7: Draw inspiration from the Women in Black

In 2000, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which calls for meaningful participation of women in peace and security decision making, and is binding for all UN Member States. In Israel, while not yet robustly represented at the negotiation table, Israeli and Palestinian women have spearheaded anti-occupation and peace work. Read up on the Women in Black fighting the occupation since 1988.

Night 8: Learn from multiple sources and perspectives

Keeping with this evening's kavanot, we invite you to keep an open mind and consume information from a diverse array of sources. Each morning, we try to promote an open conversation, while informing our supporters, through our news roundup email. Consider signing up, or follow us on Twitter where we link to each day's roundup.

The original Hanukkah dedication was the rededication of the Second Temple, a monument in its time to the Hasmonean dynasty that ruled Israel after driving out Antiochus and the Greeks. That Hanukkah was a nationalist celebration. With the Temple destroyed and the Rabbis leading in exile, Hanukkah became focused on dedication to serving God through Torah.

In the United States, Hanukkah was reshaped into a holiday dedicated to the celebration of religious freedom. As with all Jewish holidays, the meaning we see in Hanukkah continues to evolve. It asks us to what and to whom we dedicate ourselves. Hopefully not to video games or social media or a work promotion. To deepened spirituality? To advancing social causes? To raising and dispersing tzedaka? To building community? To helping the people immediately around us? To furthering science or medicine? To seeking justice and peace in Israel?

There are so many wonderful possible answers to the call for dedication. Many of them can be offered in a single life. What actions call to you today? To what will you dedicate yourself in the year ahead? May our dedication reflect our deepest values and highest selves!

Rabbi David Teutsch is a co-chair of the J Street Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet, Wiener Professor Emeritus of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and the author of a three-volume Guide to Jewish Practice.

Eight nights, eight ways to deepen your involvement, awareness and impact

For each night of Hanukkah, we have a recommended activity — a way to learn more about the issues, get more involved in J Street or help drive change. You can do all eight in order, switch them up, or pick and choose what’s most meaningful to you.

Night 1: Print and use our ‘action dreidel’

Night 2: A Georgia miracle?

Night 3: Help illuminate your community with J Street programming

Night 4: Speaking of gifting…

Night 5: Invite others to find their inner hero

Night 6: Issues that will require our dedication in the year ahead

Night 7: Draw inspiration from the Women in Black

Night 8: Learn from multiple sources and perspectives

Candle 7: The Power of Women

Cantor Evan Kent lifts up the women in the story of Hanukkah.