Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, when Jews celebrate their survival in the face of violent oppression and the miracle that the oil in the Temple that should have only lasted one day, lasted long enough (8 days) to make more oil. Observance commands that we light our candles and place them in our windows to “publicize the miracle,” lighting more candles on each night of the festival.

This makes no sense, logically. If the oil was running out, shouldn’t we start with a lot of candles and work our way down to the last by day 8? We don’t though. Why? Because the holiday celebrates survival in the face of great odds; it celebrates adding light to the world as the days progress.

Our world could certainly use more light. We have no shortage of challenges. Wars, poverty, genocide, climate change and its related humanitarian disasters, disease, child abuse, rape, and on and on and on in the catalog of human failings.

But there is a lot of hope too!

Amazing work to deal with every one of the challenges we face on going on all over the world, from Iraq and Afghanistan Vets making a strong case to address climate change now, to a massive genocide prevention movement, to amazing interfaith peace work, grassroots economic transformation, and exciting global education initiatives.

Even big business is getting in on trying to change the world!

It can be easy to become depressed about the problems we face as individuals and communities. This holiday is a chance to remember that we can achieve the impossible. As Rabbi Jack Zannerhaft of Bentonville, Arkansas once told me, “it’s a season of Miracles.”

What work are you part of or do you support that is changing the world?

What miracle do you want to publicize?

It was terrifying and hilarious, and more than a little strange, but I made it through the two-minute, American Idol style auditions for the Jewish Book Network, and enjoyed meeting a lot of the programmers from around the country and the other authors pushing their titles. It definitely added to my reading list.

I was there to talk about Far From Zion, which comes out in October, and I had a good time, much to my surprise. So hopefully, I’ll be busy this fall/winter spreading the word and coming to a community near you!

Also, in the biggest diplomatic news in decades, Iranian and Israeli government officials might just be at the same Fourth of July events at U.S. Embassies around the world. This is a major thawing of US/Iran relations, but I do wonder if anyone at the State Department has considered that neither the Iranian Muslims nor the Israeli Jews can eat the hotdogs they plan to serve? Or perhaps they’re going with Hebrew National brand? I want a photo of an Iranian ambassador chowing down on a Hebrew National frank!

The Arbetlose Marsch (March of the Unemployed) by Mordechai Gebirtig, a writer and political activist who was murdered in the Holocaust.

Courtesy of Reboot Stereophonic, The Barry Sisters present one of my favoirte Sinatra tunes, “My Way”… in Yiddish.

My Gram Bev would have loved it.

My Way

You can buy the whole CD here.

And some more: