Alla Umanskiy’s Chanukah Message for 2025

I’m writing this from a small town in Texas, and it seems that Christmas is everywhere. I don’t think there are any Jews in this lovely small town in Texas. There are, however, Christmas trees, bearded Santas, ornaments, tinsel, sleighs, fake snow, and holiday music on repeat in every coffee shop.

Texas is swell, but there’s no Hanukkah here. While I enjoy visiting Texas, I couldn’t live here. The lack of religious diversity is stifling. This season, I’m grateful to live in the metro Atlanta, where there’s a plethora of cultures and faiths almost everywhere you look. I’m grateful for Buford Hwy, with its variety of cuisines; I’m grateful for Dunwoody with its quantity of synagogues; I’m grateful for almost every place in our city that has made me and my family feel welcome and included for many years.

Happy Hanukkah to everyone who celebrates, and especially to any Texas Jews! Come visit us in the ATL.

Alla Umanskiy is a mother, wife and writer, living, working, and raising a family in the Atlanta area.