No Walls For The Small

Hanukkah began on Wednesday after sundown.  Across the world people who share the religion of Judaism prayed together by candlelight, and do so every evening until December 8th.   It is a holiday that celebrates the Jewish victory over the Syrians in Jerusalem.  Jerusalem, a holy city of all three biblical religions is home to over 700,000 people...over 200,000 of which are children.

Both Israeli and Palestinian children are given no choice but to suffer the hardship of war, as are all other children living in war torn regions.  In the Middle East, United Nations has an organization called Children of Peace, which "seeks to protect all the children and their communities in Israel and Palestine - Bedouin, Christian, Druze, Jewish and Muslim."   The Druze faith is one I was not familiar with, so I looked it up.  It is almost a form of Unitarianism, combined with concepts of Islam.  One of its core values is that God is "the whole of existence" rather than "above existence" looking down from his throne.  If all religions truly recognized God in all of existence, there would be much more love and respect for the world as a whole don't you think?

Children of Peace provides funding to groups that bring the children of Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank together, nurturing their common humanity, so they can trust in what unifies us rather than live in fear and division.  Through programs in the arts, education, and athletics children in this war-torn region are given the opportunity to grow and learn together. 

The brilliant Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest champion of peace in modern history, once said "If we are to teach real peace in this world, and we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children."

Hanukkah is a holiday celebrating the triumph of war and the miracle of the endurance of light in Jerusalem.  Hundreds of thousands of children living in this region of the world, two thousand years later are still suffering the same terrors of war that children in 168 B.C.E. faced.  Thanks to organizations like Children of Peace children of this area may just have a chance to let their little light's shine, ending the terrible darkness of war.

Something to think about as we light our own candles this holiday season.   

Thanksgiving is the only true feast day we celebrate as a culture in America.  It is a day where people across all economic divides sit down and eat, and eat and eat.  It is so easy to take food for granted when you have it in plenty, but there are 17 million children in America that face hunger on a regular basis.

One in every four kids in the great USA struggle not knowing where their next meal is coming from. That number is shocking don't you think?   This detrimentally effects their health in a number of ways from weakened immune systems, tummy aches, headaches, behavioral problems and ear infections...just to name a few.

Food insecurity is most common in urban areas, but still exists in rural areas as well.   Thanks to the few programs the government provides, SNAP (food stamps), WIC, and school lunches 57% of the 17.4 million households that are food insecure have some relief.  But what about the other 43%?

Organizations like Share Our Strength are combating child hunger, and for them I give great thanks.  One of the coolest programs they offer is The Great American Bake Sale.  Basically you sign up, host a bake sale and then donate your funds to fight child hunger. 

We are about to enter the season of baked goods galore!  Why not get some friends together and hold a bake sale before Christmas and help feed children across the country?  It is a simple way to celebrate the spirit of the holiday, to give rather than receive.  Plus, baking is cathartic and we could all use a little stress relief this time of year!   But the most important reason is that there are over 17 million children out there that would be very thankful for your giving