As the holidays descend upon us, I felt it appropriate to take the time to share my holiday greetings and wishes to all of our readers.

Being Jewish in the town of Kingston has been a challenge during the twenty-fi ve years I have called Kingston my home. Having grown up in a relatively Jewish community, I was unprepared for the barrage of questions and misconceptions when it came to my Jewish heritage. Fortunately during the early years, I was able to share my holiday celebration with hundreds of kindergarten children as the “Chanukah Lady.” It was a joy to read to these children and watch the awe in their eyes as I presented and lit the menorah. It was my hope that this small gesture would give these children a glimpse into the magic of my holiday.

Unfortunately as my children grew older, they were subjected to various cruel remarks about their “jewishness” which could only have been learned in their home environment. As a child, I was exposed to many religions as part of my Jewish religious education. I visited and took part in festivities at various churches and places of worship. It was the wish of our teachers that we learn tolerance of other religions and have a basic understanding of that which made our way of worshipping unique. I was completely unprepared for the harsh words of children as they taunted my daughters on the school bus. It was diffi cult to believe that there were still “good Christians” who were teaching their children intolerance and passing along their ignorance of those who followed a different path.

During the years my children and I took part in many Christmas activities, particularly those that involved wonderful programs geared to assist those with little to celebrate. We sponsored trees through The Festival of Trees that were donated each year to bring joy to children at Pilgrims Hope and The Mayfl ower Nursing Home. It was in this way, that my daughters learned about the true meaning of Christmas.

Often times we had to dispel the idea of Chanukah as a multi-gift giving holiday.

Chanukah is The Festival of Lights and is more solemn than celebratory. We remember the destruction of the temples at the hands of the Romans and the incredible miracle that restored light and hope to our places of worship during a very dark time in our history. The four Hebrew letters on the dreidel (the only toy I ever received at Chanukah) represent this event: A Great Miracle Happened There.

And so I wish to extend my wishes for a healthy, peaceful and happy holiday season to you and your families. After all, isn’t that what Christmas is truly about: that a great miracle, the birth of Christ, happened there in what is considered the holiest land of all, Jeruselum.

Joyce K. Rossi