Hanukkah: Not Christmas for Jews

While the two holidays fall in close proximity to each other and are celebrated in popular culture together, Hanukkah does not hold the religious significance for Jews that Christmas holds for Christians.

Each year, Hanukkah falls in close proximity or during Christmas according to the Hebrew calendar. Because of that, the two are celebrated side by side under the “Happy Holidays” moniker. But in terms of religious significance, Hanukkah doesn’t rank as high for Jews as Christmas ranks for Christians. “It’s hard to not make a big deal of out Hanukkah living in America, and I’m not sure it’s a bad thing,” said Rabbi Rhoda Silverman of Temple Emanuel in Reisterstown. “That’s not a problem for me as long as we don’t forget about everything else that makes us Jewish.” Jonathan Schwartz, senior aide to Baltimore County Council Chairwoman Vicki Almond and a member of Temple Emanuel, sees Hanukkah as having two roles in the lives of American Jews…

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Go Wild With Your Holiday Shopping at the National Zoo

Support animal care, science and research with these great gift options.

  Do some good for yourself, your family and friends and the animal kingdom by doing your holiday shopping at the National Zoo this year. For the kids: Bring home plush versions of Crystal or Cody, the zoo’s gray wolves with these realistic 16” renditions of the popular canines for just $20. Colorful owl or butterfly-themed purses are always in style and sure to be a hit with the girls in your life. Each version features working zippers, an inside pocket and a 10” strap for $22. For the animals: Show your favorite zoo animal how much you care by purchasing one of these great enrichment toys. You can either purchase items on the zoo’s online store, or visit the Enrichment Giving Tree to find out what’s on their wish list and you can drop it…

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Eco-friendly Way to Recycle the Holidays

Your guide to managing the post-holiday mess.

The holidays are a time filled with joy, wonder and blessings. The lights of the Christmas tree or menorah shine brightly, the presents are beautiful and everything looks like the set of a Hollywood movie. Then, December 29th rolls around. Hannukah has had it, Christmas was completed days ago and you’re left with giant piles of balled-up wrapping paper, boxes, ribbons, and maybe even some burned-out strings of lights. So what do you do with all that stuff? While some things will end up in the trash, we can all reduce our year-end additions to the landfill by taking a little bit of extra time and care, and really upping recycling efforts. We’ve put together this handy guide to recycling the holidays: General Information: Trash and recycling…

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Farm Fresh

Local Beekeeper Offers Unique Holiday Gifts

Laytonsville beekeeper will join vendors at the Olney Farmers' and Artists' Holiday Market on Sunday to sell raw Maryland honey and unique holiday gifts.

As Black Friday and Cyber Monday heralded the holiday shopping season, you may have found yourself ripping through the malls or scouring the Internet in search of that perfect gift.  If you are stressed about finding a gift for your politically correct, environmentally conscious niece or still can't think of what to buy for Dad, local beekeepers at BannerBee Company LLC have an assortment of socially responsible, environmentally friendly gifts that may help.  They will be one of the vendors at the Olney Farmers and Artists Holiday Market on Sunday, December 5th. Chet Langworthy, who has approximately 50 hives in Frederick, Howard and Montgomery counties, learned the trade from his father who kept bees as a hobby.  What began as a family …

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