A Chanukah Message from Jody Pollack

Out of the darkness comes the light. A bright future or an oncoming train? Or maybe a combination of the two? We need fire for light, to stay warm, cook food, and reach our goals. How often are we caught up in our morass (yes, one word and not two), and wonder why the world is passing us by? Has our fire gone out or have we forgotten how to stoke it? We all, at times, need a fire lit under our tuchuses to get off of them and make something happen with our lives. It is only then that the fire in our hearts will shine through and light up our world.

The holiday of Chanukah reminds us of those whose internal fire did not go out and fought to ensure that the literal fire would once again burn brightly and light the path for generations to come. While the intent of the holiday is often lost amongst the tumult of its concurrence with other festivities, let us not forget the courage of those who stood up against injustice for their rights to practice their customs, believe what they felt was true, express their thoughts and refuse to be canceled by the masses of the mainstream “culture” that sought to control them.

Today, we unfortunately find ourselves once again surrounded by a world that makes it difficult to truly express our thoughts and opinions for fear of the mainstream “culture” cancelling us for thinking differently, seeing the emperor’s clothes for what they are, and speaking it out loud.

Let us not give up hope. Rest assured that the spirit of the Maccabees lives in us all and we will find the courage to speak up, shine a light on hypocrisy, false outrage, and groupthink. Then, we can let our internal fire light the path for the world to become a more welcoming place to live, worship, study, play and bask in the joy of our families, friends, and latkes.

Jody Pollack is Hebrew Order of David Executive Director, Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival.