Each year, Jewish Family Services (JFS) does its Hanukkah Project, ensuring those in our community who are facing challenges will have a celebratory holiday providing gifts and more.
It’s a way to bring light to those who may be facing difficult times, ensuring they are cared for and part of our greater Jewish family. Through this project, this Hanukkah season, more than 300 individuals and families will receive wrapped gifts and gift cards; some will also receive gently loved Hanukkiot as well.
JFS’ Emerging Leaders has taken on a big role with this Hanukkah project the past few years. I first got involved with the JFS Emerging Leaders program after reading a Chronicle article about the new group almost two years ago. I had been looking for a way to get involved in the community and meet new Jewish friends, and this was a great opportunity.
My family struggled with poverty when I was growing up. My mom often had to make impossible choices about what to spend our limited money on. Could we go another month before the electricity shut off so we could restock shampoo and toilet paper at home? How could we combine random food pantry ingredients into meals that three little kids could eat? Could paper towels be used instead of menstrual pads this month? We were struggling significantly, and we really could have used help from an organization like JFS to make ends meet. Unfortunately, we didn’t live in Kansas City, so that wasn’t an option. I wish it had been.
There is so much shame that many families in poverty experience. It’s hard to ask for help, and then you’re often asked to completely disregard your dignity to access it. I can’t tell you how many times I felt worse after accessing “help” that made me wonder if going without was the better option. The price of help was humiliation — and you have to be extremely desperate to pay it. Sometimes we were desperate enough for it.
I had previously volunteered with another organization in town and actually quit serving with them because the attitude towards its clients was “they get what they get, and they should be grateful for it.” That was exactly the attitude I remember encountering as a person in need. I remember sitting in one meeting as a group of people argued whether a client “deserved” a used coat — and they decided the person did not deserve to be warm that winter. I couldn’t believe it. It was unconscionable.
So, when I learned about JFS, and the values of dignity and humanity that permeate every service, I was in love. JFS truly operates with the Jewish value of pikuach nefesh, the idea that all human beings deserve dignity, having been created in the image of G-d. I have seen firsthand how heartfelt and warm the staff and volunteers are toward JFS clients. When our Emerging Leaders group gets together, you can hear the love shine through that the volunteers have for strangers we’ll never meet. JFS truly embodies our Jewish values in every interaction.
The idea of collecting menorahs was a convergence of happy accidents. I’m a proud Jew by Choice and I know how expensive Judaica can be — and also how much it enhances the holiday to have pretty things. It’s actually a mitzvah (called hiddur mitzvah) to beautify your rituals. Having a menorah is one of those things that doesn’t make-or-break your survival, but it does make life more joyous, and we can all use more of that.
Additionally, as a Jew by Choice, I know that pre-loved Judaica is mysteriously even better than brand-new Judaica. Receiving a piece that another family used before makes me feel more like a part of the tapestry of the Jewish people. I don’t have a Jewish bubbe to inherit from, but having a pre-loved Judaica piece connects me spiritually with Klal Yisrael.
Last year, The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah generously donated remainders from their Judaica swap, which included a couple dozen menorahs. It was a wonderful surprise. We offered them to JFS Hanukkah clients, and every one was adopted out. Clients were so excited to have this special addition to their holiday.
Most of our menorahs are pre-loved pieces donated by generous members of our community. Since the synagogues aren’t having Judaica swaps this year (that I know of), our menorahs for this year came directly from families. We also look at sales of these items to add to the collection. Community member Henri Gaeddert has done the lion’s share of collecting from the community. We have a mix of brand-new and pre-loved menorahs this year.
This year, 27 households indicated they don’t have a menorah, and we will be distributing these beautiful ritual objects to them to celebrate the Festival of Lights. In addition, every household participating in the JFS Hanukkah project will be receiving menorah candles making sure they have the very basics to mark the festival (Hanukkah begins at sundown on Dec. 24.)
I am so grateful to have found a volunteer home with JFS working to support people in the community.
