Happy Hanukkah 2017 (5778) from Detroit!

Happy Hanukkah!  This year, I return the celebration to Detroit from last year's Hanukkah in the White House partly on general principles and partly because Trump invited no Jewish Democrats from Congress to the celebration.  How rude!

WXYZ didn't have any video from this year's celebration, but they had these clips from last year, beginning with Menorah in the D.


One of my former students wore that dreidl suit one year.  Who knows, he could be in it now.

That was the preview, now for the event itself.

The city of Detroit is celebrating Hanukkah with the Menorah in the D celebration.

Looks like lots of fun.

Seeing Anu Prakash interview the Rabbi reminds me of this story from the Detroit Free Press: Jewish, Hindu communities unite for first joint Hanukkah-Diwali celebration in Michigan.

Inside a Hindu temple in Troy, the priests recited in Sanskrit an opening prayer calling for peace: "Om shanti, shanti, shanti."

Moments later, a rabbi recited in Hebrew prayers for Hanukkah as another Jewish leader lit a menorah candle.

The scene inside the Bharatiya Temple in Troy Thursday night was part of what organizers say was the first-ever joint celebration of Hanukkhah and Diwali, the Jewish and Hindu holidays celebrated late in the year. About 250 gathered inside a prayer hall in the Hindu temple to sing, pray and nosh on Jewish and Indian food -- potato latkes and jelly donuts representing Hanukkah delights and samosas and sweets for the Indian side -- followed by a panel discussion about the meaning of the holidays for the two minority communities.

"There's a need for dialogue across various barriers," Nasy Sankagiri, a temple member of Bloomfield Hills, said to the predominantly Jewish crowd. "We thought this is a great idea to come together, celebrating the lighting of the lamps."

I second this emotion.  We could use more of it.