Holidays Reimagined
In a time where government officials and healthcare specialists are urging people to stay home and cancel their holiday plans, it has caused many people to reimagine their usual holiday traditions. We caught up with Rachel “Ray” Morenoff to hear how she is reimagining holidays this year as she makes adjustments with both Hanukkah and Christmas. Read her interview below and be sure to shop our newest holiday images under the TRADITION Collection.
TONL: Tell us more about you and your family/heritage:
Rachel: I have a very large family with a mixture of relatives that identify as Jewish, Christian, Buddhist and Agnostic. My stepdad is Christian and so I grew up celebrating Christmas and Easter in addition to the Jewish high holidays. Growing up, I attended Hebrew School and when I was 13 years old, I became a Bat Mitzvah—a recognized Jewish woman.
My great-grandparents immigrated to the United States prior to WWII from Turkey, Romania, Russia and Poland. Unfortunately, some relatives that stayed behind did not live through Holocaust. My ancestors were Sephardic Jews, meaning that I am a descendant of Jews who once lived in Spain and Portugal during the Roman Empire—before they were persecuted and kicked out of the region during the 15th century.
My family likes to joke that this is why I have such a passion for Latin dance! I absolutely love dancing bachata—there is something about the music that just gets me! That—and they also joke that I take after my great grandmother who once ran off with a Cuban solider. We don’t know much about him, but apparently, she immigrated to the United States after he had passed away during the Cuban Revolution. She met my great grandpa in Boston and BAM! ...my grandpa was born.
TONL: Wow. Such an eclectic and colored heritage. The Latin dancing joke is too funny. How have you been celebrating Hanukkah amidst the pandemic?
Rachel: This year, Hannukah hits differently. The pandemic has foiled our plans to have awkward conversation about my love life and my happiness at work! Lol COVID, you’re the worst! In all seriousness though - I miss my family very much. This year I was able to light the candles and say the blessings via Zoom with my Grandma and Dad. I am grateful for the upcoming opportunity to visit them in person around New Years. Together we plan to visit my relatives and have social distance hangouts in their driveways!
TONL: We are so happy to hear that you will be able to see your Grandparents even though it will be after Hanukkah. Judaism is practiced in different forms. What form of Judaism do you identify with?
Rachel: I identify with Humanistic Judaism. The Society for Humanistic Judaism celebrates Jewish life while foregoing appeals for divine intervention, instead putting faith in human reason and human power as the best vehicles for improving the world (citation: https://shj.org/meaning-learning/what-is-humanistic-judaism/). What I feel is beautiful about all forms of Judaism is the encouragement to be inquisitive and expressive; the desire to connect and communicate from a place of love; and the drive to do your part in making the world a better place. For me, being a Jewish person is about seeking knowledge, taking the time to reflect and making those around you feel like home.