NO SHAZOOM December 19, 2025
OUR HEARTS ARE WITH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL AND ALL THE VICTIMS OF CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם מַתִּיר אֲסוּרִים
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who frees the captives.
From “Mishkan T’filah / A Reform Siddur” CCAR, New York 2007, p.60
BARUCH atah, Adonai Elohëinu, Mélech ha’olam,
yotzër ‘or uvorë chóshech, ‘oseh shalom uvorë et-hakol.
PRAISED ARE YOU, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe,
Creator of light and darkness, who makes peace and fashions all things.
CHANUKAH 2025 / חֲנוּכָּה 5786
Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of rededication – Fourth Candle*
Chanukah for Hebrew Year 5786 began at sundown on Sunday, 14 December 2025 and ends at nightfall on Monday, 22 December 2025.
Hanukkah (Hebrew: חֲנֻכָּה, usually spelled חנוכה pronounced [χanuˈka] in Modern Hebrew, also romanized as Chanukah or Chanuka), also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.
Read more from Judaism 101 or Wikipedia
*We light four candles along with the Shammash after sundown when it is dark.
NO SHAZOOM
We will NOT meet for Shazoom this coming Friday evening, December 19, 2025. We will meet again online the following week. Please see the NEW Shazoom schedule below.
Read this week’s Torah Portion, Mikëtz (After), at https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.41.1-44.17 and Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Chanukah Maftir at https://www.sefaria.org/Numbers.7.42-47, and Haftarah at https://www.sefaria.org/Zechariah.2.14-4.7
YAHRZEITS/ANYOS
This coming week, 30 Kislev through 6 Tevet, we lovingly remember:
Esther bat Zazl vRozl (Abel)
Friend of Ruben Gomez
Leo Blumberg
TKH Memorial Board – Founding Member
Alfredo Espinoza
Father of Mary Caron
Ágnes Klein Keleti
Am Yisrael – Holocaust Survivor – Olympian
Edward Larkin
Cousin of Ruben Gomez
Edward Malcherowitz
Uncle of Valeska and in-law of Ben Caron
Those victims of the Sho’ah (Holocaust) who died at this time of year.
As Jaimie Luria, a friend in Florida texted me: “There is so much sadness and grief bound up with our celebrations of life and survival. It is a bittersweet holiday indeed. May the families of the victims find comfort in spite of the vicious tragedy [in Sydney].”
Chag Chanukah Sameach,
-Ruben
PS – Shazoom and Observances schedule through December 2025 (Arizona Time Zone):
[December 15 to 22, Monday-Monday – Chanukah]
December 19, 2025 – NO SHAZOOM (Chanukah Sixth Candle)
[December 19-20, Friday-Saturday – Chag HaBanot–North African Chanukah Festival of Daughters]
[December 20, Saturday – Shabbat in Chanukah]
[December 19-21, Friday-Sunday – Rosh Chodesh Tevet]
[December 21, Sunday – Eighth Candle]
December 26, 2025 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
[December 30, Tuesday – Asara B’Tevet – Fast, Siege of Jerusalem]
[December 31, Wednesday – Secular New Year’s Eve]
[January 1, Thursday – Secular New Year’s Day 2026]