The JMM at the Conservatory!

If you loved our Enterprising Emporiums exhibition about the historic downtown department stores, you wont want to miss the Winter Windowland display at the Rawlings Conservatory. Many of the photographs used from the JMM exhibition will be featured, along with hat boxes and our handsome text panels!

Check out "Thanksgiving in Connecticut!"

Pop over to our sister blog "Chosen Food" to read the most recent post about Thanksgiving and leave us some comments about your own T-day celebrations!

"This was an exciting year for me – I don’t usually like to travel around Thanksgiving (too many cars doing too many stupid things on the roads), but because of a backlog of vacation time I was able to take a whole week off and, avoiding holiday traffic, head up to my family in Connecticut to celebrate Thanksgiving in style!"

Celebrating Hanukkah, Modern Style

A blog post by Outreach Coordinator Rachael Binning.

Happy Hanukkah! This year I’m celebrating Hanukkah away from my family which means that I’ve had to be a bit more creative about how I celebrate this year. I can’t rely on feeling festive though the boxes of decorations my family has collected over the years or by eating my mom’s homemade applesauce (with Red Hots to make it pink and spicy), or by being with my family as each of us lights our own special menorah. Instead, I’ve resorted to some more non-traditional and modern takes on celebrating the holiday on my own. So instead of eating my dad’s homemade latkes and scheming with my sister over what night we should open which gift, I’ve been doing this:


Listening to Surprisingly Modern (and good!) Hanukkah Songs:

Songs in the Key of Hanukkah by Erran Barron Cohen

I’ve actually been listening to “Songs in the Key of Hanukkah” by Erran Baron Cohen for a few years now, but when I rediscovered it last night I was so glad I did. Erran Baron Cohen, the brother Sacha Baron Cohen (think Borat), released a Hanukkah album a few years ago which I love. The songs on the album, which are performed by a diverse group of musicians, are ones that I would not mind listening to throughout the year. In an NPR interview Cohen said that he created this album because he was unsatisfied with the Hanukkah songs he group up listening to. The album is a compilation of modern takes on traditional songs and new music. One of my favorite songs is “A la Luz de la Vela” (In the Light of the Candles) a beautiful song that is sung in Ladino (Spanish and Hebrew) by Yasmin Levy. The album probably isn’t for everyone (I can see some people being turned off by the modern takes on traditional holiday favorites), but it’s worth at least checking out listening to Erran Baron Cohen’s interview and the few songs posted on NPR’s site.

Miracle by Matisyahu

Matisyahu has a new Hanukkah song called “Miracle,” which is so catchy that I think it should be played on the radio right now! Matisyahu was recently interviewed on NRP about the new song, being a Chasidic reggae singer, and Hanukkah. Visit Matisyahu’s website to watch the very entertaining music video for the song.


Hosting a Holiday Party With My Roommates:

Chrismakah Tree

I live with two roommates (who I love!) who are not Jewish. However, we all appreciate getting into the holiday spirit and enjoy spending times with friends and family around this time of year. This year we are hosting a holiday decorating party, which I’m very excited about because we will be making Christmas and Hanukkah decorations while frying latkes and drinking mulled wine. Does it get any better than that? I also love the idea of this holiday party because we get to share our different traditions and cultures with each other. I’ve never lived in a house with a Christmas tree and this year I will be able to partake in that tradition. My roommates will get to assist me (or knowing my cooking skills, take the lead) in attempting to fry up some latkes.

I asked some of my friends who now live on their own what they do for Hanukkah and one of them said that she just came back from a Hanukkah party where they had a gift exchange. This isn’t a new idea, but it’s a good one for young adults on a tight budget. I love giving and receiving gifts, but the cost quickly adds up. My roommates and I are also thinking of adding a charity component to our party. Our ideas included donating to a local charity or having each guest bring canned goods. I really love this idea and I think it’s a great way to get in the holiday spirit.


Listening to Stories:

My sister’s fireproof menorah.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m usually not a great muti-tasker (talking on the phone while typing is not my forte). I am however great at listening to stories (such as NPR or This American Life) while cleaning my room, walking the dog, or participating in other relatively mindless activities. Last night rather than eating latkes and spinning dreidles I ended up listening to NPR’s yearly program called Hanukkah Lights while cleaning my room and eating Thai food. This is the 20th Anniversary of the program and that each year presents an hour of commissioned stories focused on Hanukkah. Based on the other links I’ve posted in this blog post I’m sure you’ve noticed I am an avid NPR listener, but I think this program is especially great. Hanukkah Lights puts Judaism’s strong oral tradition in a modern context while remaining entertaining and educating the public about some of the many themes of Hanukkah. Jews love to tell stories, and indeed most of our holidays are based around stories, so it’s important to see that the storytelling tradition (both fiction and non-fiction) keeps up in the modern age.

I’m not saying that I don’t miss celebrating a traditional Hanukkah with my family because I do, but I’m glad that there are alternative ways for me to participate in the themes and tradition of the holiday this year. Finally, I’ll leave you with a picture of my family celebrating Hanukkah about 20 years ago (oy!). My sister Sarah is wearing a tiara (she’s always thought that she was a princess) and I have the red bow in my hair. Those days, including my mom’s long red nails, are long gone.

The Binning Family Celebrates Hanukkah!

CHANUKAH! ALMOST HERE! A GLORIOUS TIME OF THE YEAR!

A blog post by shop manager Esther Weiner.

Four weeks from today, Wednesday, December 1, 2010, the Hebrew date is Kislev 24; we light the first candle for Chanukah! What a special time of the year…if you think about it this way, and prior to December 1, the Jewish people all over the world get out their own special Chanukiah, polish them up, (if needed) insert the first candle, light the Shamesh, say the bracha, (prayer), and light the first candle! It gives me a very warm, fuzzy and special feeling that next door, down the hall, across town, in the next city, in the adjoining state, criss-crossing the country, over the ocean, and around the world, Jews are doing the same thing that you and I are doing. Sort of like joining hands and spanning the world.

I like the feeling. I love the songs we sing, and the foods we eat. The latkes, all kinds—potato, zucchini, sweet potato (yes, I make them too), and yummy doughnuts.

Esther demonstrates latke making at the Museum.

The gifts that have come to be exchanged between close friends and families are special too. In our family, we try to keep that under control and not get out of hand—but, heck, Chanukah comes but once a year!

Now for Chanukiot, that’s a special topic with me…I adore the variety of pieces that are available today! And as the buyer for the Museum Shop of the Jewish Museum of Maryland I get to indulge in choosing some really special pieces for the shop. I’m like a kid in a candy shop, picking out a wonderful variety for those visitors to the JMM. You’ll see some of the pictures here on my blog.

The grand Chanukiah made of small pieces of Jerusalem stone and made in Israel, the gorgeous Chanukiot made of stone with crystal candle holders, each holder has a holographic picture inside. I love the Tamara Baskin glass curved piece with the hills of Jerusalem, it’s so colorful! How about the funky Chanukiah—the double-wing airplane, the black steel motorcycle with the driver, the school bus? The perennial favorite is back, the high heel shoe Chanukiah, the Karen Rossi Family Chanukiah, the red-wire convertible, the brass klezmer piece? Oh so many…you have to come down and see for yourself!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the magnificent selection of candles to grace your Chanukiah, hand-picked in an assortment of colors to suit everyone.

Did I say I love this time of the year? Come on down to the JMM, check out our shop and celebrate this special time of the year with us…ask for Esther, but then, everyone will be happy to have you visit our museum!

Rosh Hashanah at the Okin House!

Rosh Hashana at my house is always a family affair; everyone has their specific tasks and knows just how to do it. (Even our guests have specific assignments: Audrey makes the kugel, Jimmy carves the turkey, Leslie makes sure that there is challah with and without raisins) My mom started the soup, brisket and desserts in advance, but it’s always a race against the clock to see if we will be done on time for the guests!

Hop over to our "Chosen Food" blog to read the rest of the run-down for the Jewish New Year celebration of our Senior Collections Manager Jobi (Okin) Zink!