Holidays – a gateway to Judaism…
Celebration of Jewish holidays unites Jews around the world. For the millions who grew up without the opportunity to rejoice as a community, the revival of tradition signifies the victory of tenacity over tyranny – both for their people and for themselves.
Whether it’s Purim with our ‘Mishloach Manot’ gift packages, or Succot with our mobile Sukkah-mobile, the FJC is active in hundreds of communities spanning ten time zones.
For the High Holy Days we send out holiday food packages, topped with apples and honey, hundreds of thousands of prayer books, tallises and shofars; and hundreds of cantors and rabbinical students are dispatched to lead services. We build large community sukkahs and teach about ‘Arba’at ha-minim’ (the four species) for Succoth, and send 250,000 menorahs during Hanukah for people to light in their homes.
Even under Communism, thousands of people of every age defied armed repression to gather and celebrate Simhat Torah. And during Passover, Jews in the Former Soviet Union today celebrate this and the 3,000 year old story of the Jewish people as though it were their own: 2 million pounds of matzoh, 250,000 bottles of kosher wine, 400 rabbinical students and hundreds of central Seders, at 400 locations – all merely the beginning of a swiftly growing trend.*
* FJC Passover programs are underwritten by the Rohr Family foundation, Lev & Olga Leviev of the Ohr Avner Foundation, and thousands of North American donors, responding to an annual Passover appeal from the Federation’s U.S. office.
