Girls Virtual Chanukah Celebration

A unique pre – Chanukah celebration took place (last Sunday) featuring the talents of Jewish women and girls from around the world. Mothers and daughters joined together to celebrate the heroism and courage of Jewish women of our past and present.

The event featured an original welcome song performed by Mrs. Racheli Jacks, from Australia; the story of the Chanukah Heroine, Yehudit told by Anya Gerofsky from Toronto; an inspiring interview with Shlucha, Leah Namdar; a Chanukah dance by Sarah Dennis from CA.; a Jewpardy game by Emmy Simon, from Arizona and a skin care lesson using olive oil by Moussie Stebben from Toronto. In unity, everyone recited Psalm for the safety of our brothers and sisters around the world.

This was the First JEWISH GIRLS UNITE Live Virtual Celebration exploring the heroines of Chanukah. Monthly Rosh Chodesh virtual celebrations, coordinated by Tova Leah Steinmetz, for mothers and daughters ages 8-18 will celebrate heroic women and girls, Jewish values and creativity.

Jewish Girls Unite was founded in 2011 by Nechama Laber, Founder of Jewish Girls Retreat and Leah Larson of Yaldah Magazine, who saw the need for a year round community for Jewish girls, a place where girls could unite and express their talents. JGU also offers girls who live in smaller and remote Jewish communities, a chance to connect with a global commu1nity of Jewish girls.

At the online event, Yehudis Hecht interviewed Shlucha, Leah Namdar: She asked, “What is your greatest challenge in Sweden?”

Leah replied, “We are having this interview before Chanukah and retelling the story of how the Syrian Greeks told the Jewish people that they shouldn’t be different and keep the mitzvot. The first of the ten commandments in Sweden is, “Thou shall not be different”. Don’t stick out or be unique in anyway. They also say, “It’s ok to sing Jewish songs but don’t give your children a real Jewish education and a belief in G-d. We think of those Maccabee children all the time!!

The law in Sweden is that you are allowed to home school if you have a good reason and religion is not considered an important reason. Our battle in court is not just about our childrens’ education, but it is part of our mission of introducing the concept of G-d in this country.

In a sense this battle is something we all have in our heart all the time. There is the inner voice saying to us, “Don’t be different” and then there is the part of us that says, “Yes, we can be different. Yes, we can dare to be a Maccabee despite the battle with the “Syrian Army” from within and without.”

The girls asked Leah: “What is it that keeps you going and gives you strength?

Leah related a story that occurred when she was only four years old; she had an audience with the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Rebbe wanted to revive the custom that young Jewish girls light Shabbos candles. The Rebbe asked us to light candles every Friday night even before the candle lighting campaign was publicized.

The message I came away with was that nobody is too small to bring more light into the world even a small person, a small four year old girl. Each one of you is having a huge impact on your surroundings and no one is too small to bring light. This is the message of Chanukah and this thought gives us tremendous encouragement in our daily lives.”

As Leah was leaving, girls and mothers thanked her for inspiring them with her courage and optimism just like Yehudit demonstrated in the days of the Chanukah story. Leah thanked all the participants and invited them to visit her in Sweden. She concluded by saying: “JGU is writing a new page in the history of heroic Jewish girls!”

Recently, in November 2014, JGU launched weekly online classes titled “Beyond Bat Mitzvah” for girls 11 and up. Rabbi Yosef Resnick of room613.net runs the virtual classroom and Nechama Laber is facilitator.

“We are so grateful that our daughter Anya is a member of Jewish Girls Unite because there are only a few girls her age at our Chabad and we live a 45 minute walk from the synagogue and the Jewish community, so inviting friends to spend Shabbat with us is very limited. Anya goes to a secular school, where she has no friends like her. The JGU virtual club offers a golden opportunity for our daughter, and hundreds like her, to stay connected and inspired in a way that is second nature to her – on-line,” says, Lisse Gerofsky from Toronto.

Girls will continue to unite and celebrate the power of Jewish women and girls at the 9th annual Jewish Girls Winter Retreat taking place from Dec. 25-28, 2014 at the Dunham’s Bay Resort in Lake George, NY. Girls from Alaska, Georgia, Wisconsin, NY, MA, Toronto and many others places will be joining together for a life changing four day weekend.

To register, visit www.jewishgirlsretreat.net or www.jewishgirlsunite.com