My Hanukkah Letter

Looking back, looking ahead.

Dear Friends of The Cholent,

It’s been a month.

For the first time in over a year (ever?) I’ve had a hard time showing up to my keyboard. It’s not for lack of story ideas — I have plenty of stories in development for The Cholent — but something else, something like mental exhaustion.

I may have finally hit a wall, or maybe the fall of the Syrian regime and the rise of the Trump regime have moved Israel off the front page just enough to give me a moment to breathe. (Makes you realize how quickly Israel loses importance once there’s some other more interesting crisis.) And thankfully, no one else has, to my knowledge, vandalized a local university president’s home in a few weeks.

This past year-plus has been overwhelming for many of us. With the hostages still of unknown status and the changing nature of the war and the increase in danger for Jews throughout the diaspora, our new reality continues to hit us in emotional waves. But even rage has inertia, and although “the day after” remains elusive, it feels like a page has finally turned. The one long day of last year has ended. It was a very long all-nighter, and I’m suddenly just so tired and wondering what there is even left to say.

I want to take a minute to reset, and to welcome new subscribers, many of whom are not from Seattle but have gravitated here from the Substack universe for whatever tune they are picking up out of the static. Thank you for following my writing.

It’s also the time of year where I reflect on how this newsletter started and wonder where it’s going. What began as a Covid project — something I imagined would fill the local news hole until someone came forward to relaunch a Jewish paper or magazine — has turned into part of my identity and routine. Somehow, every week a new story crops up, and I’ve published an article or analysis or interview almost every week for the past four years.

I decided not to overthink The Cholent when I started it, not to stress out over publishing more than I could handle or worry where it would one day go. Should I consider leaving my day job and investing in it full time? Open a merch store and sponsor events with cute Cholent t-shirts? Maybe later.

For now, writing the stories that no one else is covering, giving voice to PNW Jews, and more recently, being a shameless and sometimes rabid advocate for Jewish survival, is my only priority. I am always happy to hear from people who tell me that The Cholent came up in conversation, or that these stories are integral to their understanding of an issue, or that in a meeting someone raised the concern of how The Cholent will cover their next program. I’m always a little surprised: somebody reads this? It keeps me going.

I often encounter people who don’t know that The Cholent isn’t my main job. I actually have two other jobs. I spend my days working as a marketing copywriter, and I also teach high school journalism and advise the Northwest Yeshiva High School newspaper, The Mane Idea. (That’s not a typo — the NYHS mascot is a lion.) Working with teenagers on their writing brings me so much joy. Please check out their work at nyhsmaneidea.com — and maybe they will be the future local Jewish paper we have been waiting for! For the past two weeks we have been putting together our print issue, and that’s also drained most of my own writing energy.

On top of all this — or, I should say, at the foundation and center of all of this — is my family, which often feels like a swirling dust cloud of tests that are tomorrow on material we don’t understand, bedtimes that won’t be obeyed, meals that need to be made, important announcements that need to be read, appointments that need to be scheduled, teeth that need to be fixed, and basketball games in other cities scheduled during rush hour that need a driver.

Most weeks, despite trying to plan better, I cram all my writing into Thursday night, slamming the laptop shut around midnight because I need six hours of sleep at the very least to function properly. Lately even this minimal scrap of time has been out of reach, and it doesn’t help that Shabbat comes in shortly after breakfast.

So, that’s me. Thank you for supporting my work, whether you’ve been on board since the beginning or just came across The Cholent yesterday. Happy Hanukkah, and here’s to another year of The Cholent.

Emily

Community updates

The end of the year is time for new beginnings.

→ Mercaz, a North Seattle Modern Orthodox community, just signed an agreement to buy its own building after years of meeting in homes with its growing community.

→ Longtime Jewish Family Service CEO Rabbi Will Berkovitz is stepping down in September to join two local philanthropists to “develop a foundation that will support the global Jewish community.” We look forward to learning more about this new foundation and what’s to come next for him.

Why JFS's CEO Believes It's Time to Talk about Anti-Semitism

→ Tana Senn is also leaving her post as 41st Legislative District representative to join incoming governor Bob Ferguson’s team as secretary of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).

The Democrats' Dilemma

Mazal tov — may you all go from strength to strength!

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Announcements

Check out the Seattle Jewish community calendar.

Candlelighting in Seattle is at 4:01 p.m. The parasha is Vayeshev.

GREAT NEWS for our 21+ young adult Jewish community! You're invited to join JConnect for Latkepalooza! This year’s pre-Hanukkah party is December 24, from 8-11pm at a great Belltown bar/lounge location. There'll be a DJ + dance floor, karaoke room, latke bar, lounge space, and more.

Register here: www.jconnectseattle.org/events/latkepalooza-5/

Shoutouts

Shoutout to the whole Jewish community for their support of the Washington State Jewish Historical Society in this challenging year – you are all appreciated for your participation, engagement and support. —Lisa Kranseler

Shout-out to the JCRC Advocacy team at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle...staff and volunteers, for preparing our community for the upcoming legislative session, and for asking us all to get involved by signing up for the JCRC Action Alerts. Join the Jewish Community Advocacy Email List today! —Linda Clifton

Big shoutout to Amee Sherer, Executive Director of Hillel at the University of Washington, for receiving the prestigious Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence award in front of 1200 cheering Hillel professionals at this year’s Hillel International Global Assembly (HIGA) in Boston last week. Amee is a longtime Jewish leader and educator in Seattle. As she retires from her role at HillelUW, the Jewish community of Greater Seattle is shouting out for Amee. —Jon Newman