Spreading the Light. . . Oil!

Chanukah is coming. I wrote that before the chag began. I can't believe that I haven't been able to post since November 30th: my computer has been out of commission so long that now Chanukah is here!

Thank G-d we have the most wonderful chagim (holidays) to remind us of Goodness, and Light, and the Purpose of Life--especially in the light (NO pun intended there) of what is happening in the U.S. with the revelation of serious corruption and fraud, some major one even perpetrated by a Jew named Bernie (a shanda): fodder for anti-Semitism, of course.

My computer had been corrupted by 2 Trojans which disabled the security software - how appropriate, in this season, to beware of Greeks bearing gifts--but now they have been quarantined (the Trojans, not the Greeks) and I can reconnect to the internet, my lifeline. I felt totally disconnected (not a pun. really.) without it .

Now to my earth-shatteringly-important question: why, oh why do they NOT have levivot* in Israel? You get sufganiyot* up the kazoo, but nowhere do latkes* proliferate.
Chanukah for me would not be the same without my eema's (aleha ha-shalom) spinach latke recipe, which my hubby makes beautifully!

We (ok, HE) just finished making about 80 of 'em, half potato, and the other 40 or so spinach, for our Shabbat Chanukah 'party' for lunch. I will bake challot tomorrow a.m. and we will also make sufganiyot and lamb cholent, not necessarily in that order. It's a 'pot-luck' with our friends/guests each making or bringing one dish, chicken pieces with rice, Israeli salad, stuffing, drinks for le-chaims, and more--

I wish we could invite more people, but I am already exhausted from searching for full-time work, 2-hour choir rehearsals and Chanukah events (parties, sheva brachot for a former student who just was married, etc.), so we will only be 13 people this Shabbat.

Thirteen is an auspicious number in Judaism, so I'm happy. It's just the right number!

Chanukah sameach and Happy Holidays to you all.


*levivot: potato pancakes
*latkes: same as above
*sufganiyot: jelly doughnuts

Comments

Anonymous said…
chag sameach!
in the stores they sell sufganiot, but people make latkes everywhere I went for chanukah!
it's quite easy, I made some myself as well.
2:12 AM
Norma said…
An interesting view in today's WSJ about the Madoff link to Jewish charities. It suggested that in the long run the collapse might be healthy, because more would be contributed from a broader base. Jews have a wonderful tradition of giving to worthy and community causes--one man cannot damage that.
6:40 AM
Leora said…
There was an article in the Jerusalem Post about how the proliferation of sufganiyot was a Histadrut ploy to increase bakery sales.

Norma, trusting one person with billions of dollars does sound like a bad idea in the long run. I'll have to look for that WSJ article.

Happy Chanukah.
6:47 AM
Anonymous said…
I'm so glad to hear from you again. I was beginning to worry about you, you were silent so long. Glad your trojans are contained and you can be with us once more.
9:08 AM
Lady-Light said…
Wow. I just posted late last night (or you might say, early this morning: around 2 a.m. my time), and there are 4 comments to greet me this morning! It is wonderful to hear from all of you; I missed you all as well. Blogging has become a virtual community, and I missed it...

Anon: That's interesting; people have kept their personal traditions, but it hasn't made it to the retailers yet. We have to change this; LATKE LOVERS, UNITE!

Norma: Thank you for your vote of confidence. I was extremely upset when Madoff's fraud was revealed, and astounded at the extent of it and how it went undetected for two decades. Is anybody asking where the SEC was in all this in the face of some complaints from investors over the years?

It does not diminish Madoff's crime, but there are definitely others involved in this horrific scam. I say 'horrific,' because at least one family (probably many more) invested their entire retirement fund in his scheme and lost it all, and we can probably attribute one French investor's suicide to participation in this. Which means Madoff might be indirectly responsible for this man's death.

Yes, Jews will continue to contribute to worthy causes and do good in the world, while at the same time we need to curb greed. This is true of all peoples, not only Jews. I will look for that WSJ article (the paper is delivered to my door -only one I read,in print form...)
Have a veryHappy Holiday!

Leora: Hahaha. Histadrut plot--I would believe it (the Histadrut can be blamed for many of Israel's current ills)!
Chag Urim Sameach!

Juanita: Thank you so much for your concern. You have no idea how it felt to not have a functioning computer. I felt as if I was transported back in time into the 16th century! No communication, no virtual friends, no FACEBOOK, for gosh sakes! Now how does one live without that?
Yes, my Trojans were incarcerated, new security software was installed by my Geek Squad (hubby and friend's husband; Israeli, of course), and I'm up and running, although a new computer (mine is only 512MB of RAM and maxed out to the gills)will be in the works as soon as I am gainfully employed.
(And to think that I thought that nobody cared!)
1:26 PM
Batya said…
It's health safety.
Latkes spoil quickly, need refrigeration and heating. They're best in restaurants. It's also tiresome to make them.

Sufganyot can be kept out, on display, easy storage and sale, and nobody seems to care how disgusting they taste.
12:49 PM
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