In 1995, when my boys were 11 and 14, I purchased a lovely book called Eight Nights, Eight Lights: Family Values for Each Night of Hanukkah, compiled by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky. It contained short inspirational passages to be read aloud as part of the candle-lighting ceremony. Some sections were written by modern rabbis. Others came from older Jewish texts. But each one provided a meaningful moment of reflection which added to our Hanukkah celebration, making this family time together more than just a gift-giving event.

As we mourn the deaths of those in the Tree of Life Synagogue tragedy, it’s comforting to know that there are many good people in the world who stand with us. November 9 will mark the 20^th anniversary of the Paper Clips Project in Whitwell, Tennessee, in which the teachers and students of this small rural community undertook to understand the magnitude of the death of the six million Jews who died in the Shoah. Our book, “Six Million Paper Clips,” which documents this project, continues to sell well throughout the world. Here are the remarks by our good friends and authors Peter Schroeder and Dagmar Schroeder-Hildebrand, which will be read at the 20^th anniversary event.        

            I know you're going to chuckle and think yeah, yeah when I say Jews have been trailblazers from the word go, but think about it. Long before environmental protection topped the world agenda it was an issue embedded in the bible; long before the “mosaic society” became part-and-parcel of 21^st century life, Jews were a multi-cultural people by virtue of the diaspora. Then seventy years ago, a Jewish state with an entrepreneurial spirit was born embracing both.  By the end of its first decade the country had become a collage of cultures, its scientists exploring ways to harness solar power and create technology for maximizing limited water resources.

Tucked into a hard-to-find patch of wilderness, where the trees are not trimmed and the plants grow wild, is Jerusalem's Bird Observatory. This patch of urban nature allows the birds to find places to hide from the sun, rain, and other animals.

Most often, despite the seeming collaboration, authors and illustrators of children’s books never meet or work directly with each other. Even so, results that seem almost magical can be achieved in the final product. One very special book is An Unlikely Ballerina by Krystyna Poray Goddu (who is based in New York) and illustrated by Cosei Kawa (who is based in Japan), a great example of the interplay between story and image. Krystyna was curious about a unique element of Cosei’s art, and wrote to him to ask about it:

Rabbi Kerry Olitzky has held many leadership positions in Jewish organizations.

This book is set in ancient Egypt. Let me set the scene for you: a marvelous boy filled with curiosity and optimism is enamored by every single thing that catches his eye. He finds beauty in all things. This boy, Bezalel, turns out to be, with other Israelites under Egyptian rule, a slave. However, his genuine curiosity and appreciating for all things--mostly forgotten things--is refreshing. His clinging to his ‘beautiful things box’ definitely hits home.

Mazel tov on the rescue of the young soccer players, and thanks to their intrepid team of divers! The world breathes a collective sigh of relief this morning as the twelfth boy and their coach have been safely rescued from a Thai cave after more than two weeks of being trapped.