Storahtelling

Judah the Maccabee’s Menorah
“Three Times the Judy”
By Isadore “Alex/Judy the Maccabee” Wolfson

“Light the Night Tonight!” This is the sound that echoed through the halls of the JCC Manhattan, the 14th Street Y, and the Bergen County Solomon Schecter over the weekend. Naamah Harris and I decided that the best way to relay our message to the children of the tri-state area was to do three back-to-back shows, complete with Judy the Maccabee’s big blue head at the helm. The theme of our show was light vs. dark, with a lovely “working together” bullseye.

We downplayed the part of the Channukah story that included war and conflict to make room for a healthy dose of “lighting the night tonight.” Judy the Maccabee, Judah’s sister helped to teach around 400 parents and kids this weekend embrace the idea of fighting the darkness with light. A big part of the story we told involved a brother and a sister fighting and separating themselves from one another, and thus, separating the candles from the menorah. Through the story, we helped the kids embrace the idea of working together both because a brother and a sister SHOULD but also because the menorah and the candles “work together.” In order to find the light and fight the dark, we need to put the candles INSIDE the menorah.

The thing that I love most about these StorahSteps shows is that we really have fun while (usually) very cleverly inserting lessons about Torah, Judaism, and most importantly, LIFE. The kids at all three shows really seemed to connect to the story and to Judy. We really have such an opportunity with this age group to incorporate Jewish ideals into their everyday lives.
All in all, Naamah and I had a great time with the show and with all three audiences. And remember, when you’re lighting your menorahs for these last days of Channukah, let the light shine brightly. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

Missed your chance to see Judy at the crew this past weekend? Light up the night post-Chanukah at 11AM at the Kings Bay Y, 3495 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11229. Click here for more information.