Jewish Humor Central
Jewish Humor Central is a daily publication to start your day with news of the Jewish world that’s likely to produce a knowing smile and some Yiddishe nachas. It’s also a collection of sources of Jewish humor–anything that brings a grin, chuckle, laugh, guffaw, or just a warm feeling to readers. Our posts include jokes, satire, books, music, films, videos, food, Unbelievable But True, and In the News. Some are new, and some are classics. We post every morning, Sunday through Friday. Enjoy!
Office Depot/Office Max has partnered with the folks who created the Elf on the Shelf Christmas phenomenon and the associated Elf Yourself app and the creators of The Mensch on a Bench.
The result? They’ve added a Jewish twist to the funny dance videos that let you add yourself and up to four others into the animated action.
Most of the animated dances feature familiar songs about Christmas and the winter holiday season. But now you can create a Chanukah themed dance, featuring the Hanukkah phenomenon, the Mensch on a Bench, and the popular a capella group, the Maccabeats, singing Oh Chanukah!
We’ve joined in the fun and created a video featuring the five members of our staff dancing like we’ve never danced before and wishing you a Chanukah that’s filled with enough light and laughter to last eight days.
You can do the same with photos of your family and friends. Just follow the directions at elfyourself.com and choose the Hanukkah theme from among the many offered.
Enjoy!
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Why this Omaha family celebrates both Hanukkah and Christmas
Jamie Wiechman’s son Austin looks at the family’s menorah. The Wiechmans celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas.
- JAMIE WIECHMAN
Ashlee Coffey World-Herald Staff Writer
Growing up, Jamie Wiechman loved celebrating Hanukkah with her family.
She remembers lighting the candles on the menorah each night and being excited to eat potato latkes.
Today, she’s a mom of two and a stepmom to one, and appreciates even more celebrating the festival of lights, which starts Sunday and goes through Dec. 6.
“The older I get, the more I appreciate beautiful menorahs,” Wiechman said. “My kids gave my mother a beautiful menorah that says ‘Austin and Aiden love Mimi’ for Hanukkah this year.”
She starts to plan early for it, too. Around October, she looks to see where Hanukkah falls on the calendar.
“That will dictate how we celebrate the season and when decorations go up,” she said. “Since we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah in our household, they needed to go up earlier this year.”
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She also makes a spreadsheet for presents for both Christmas and Hanukkah.
“With eight nights of presents plus Christmas, there needs to be a lot of organization,” she said. “I also look around for fun ‘Elf on the Shelf’ ideas, which is my favorite part.”
“Elf of the Shelf” has become a popular Christmas tradition. It is based on the story of Santa’s elves who visit children on nights leading up to Christmas Eve. At night, they “travel” back to the North Pole to report to Santa on kids’ behavior. Often the elf is found in funny places throughout the home for kids to find each day during the holidays.
Families wanting to learn more about Hanukkah can check out special festival of lights activities at the Omaha Children’s Museum beginning Sunday through Dec. 6. The museum consulted with the Tri-Faith Initiative, which brings Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities together on a single campus, on how to offer a more thoughtful and diverse range of activities and celebrations in the museum.
“With Hanukkah, Tri-Faith recommended a simple, yet meaningful, experience to help younger children learn about the holiday — a story time and activity centered on the menorah,” said Kim Reiner, museum director of marketing and public relations.
Wiechman grew up Jewish but her husband is Lutheran. So combining the two holidays has been her favorite part of the holiday season as a parent.
“For me, the way to balance is to show all of our children that they are truly lucky to be able to celebrate both holidays,” she said. “We want them to understand the common thread of both holidays, which is family. If you’re Jewish and partake in Christmas traditions, then you’re still Jewish. And if you’re Christian and light the menorah, you’re still Christian.”
The family does “Elf on the Shelf” — and has for years with her stepdaughter — but last year introduced “Shmelf the Hanukkah Elf” for the couple’s oldest son and their newest baby, both of whom they are raising in the Jewish faith. The couple got a book about Shmelf and then bought a blue elf from Etsy to match the book.
