Thoughts for a Greener Hanukkah

A dear friend of our family is a rabbi, and as I was gathering material last week for this entry, I emailed him for his perspective. Rabbi Andrew Goodman shared these thoughts about Hanukkah: "... from the most basic level, Hanukkah is an important celebration for two reasons... neither of which are gift giving. On one hand, the holiday commemorates a victory over oppression from the Greeks. It commemorates religious integrity and standing up for/fighting for what you believe in and knowing when to act in the face of imminent annihilation. On the other hand, there is the theological importance of the miracle of oil, which should only have lasted for one day lasting for 8. From both of these perspectives, I think that a strong argument can be made for greening your life. We are aware of limited resources and should never forget the importance of having these most basic needs, and thus need to guard them. Also, as the Jews fought the Greeks, we too need to fight (not literally) for our existential longevity. Without our earth, we will not be able to survive and so, this threat is akin to the Greeks... and we too must act."

So how can you make Hanukkah a bit greener?  Here are a few tips I've gathered:

• shop for vintage menorahs, dreidels, gifts at antique stores, thrift shops or eBay.  Shop online for sustainable dreidels and menorahs
• shop for locally grown and organic potatoes, cheeses & other ingredients
• candles-- beeswax candles  burn slowly and are odorless, smokeless and virtually dripless; or look for them locally 
• fair trade gelt sources:  Chocolate coins can be purchased online at Serrv and Global Exchange. They are also available at Whole Foods and Wegmans stores.
• Green menorah campaign 
• A Light Among the Nations 
• suggestions for 8 days of environmental action to commemorate Hanukkah
• Thinking Outside the Gift Box  -- green gift suggestions