Hanukkah

Peace and joy reigned in one corner of the sky as friends of different nationalities and creeds gathered to participate in the celebration of Hanukkah upon the invitation of Israeli Ambassador Menashe Bar-On and his wife Eti. Their penthouse in Makati was one little United Nations General Assembly as people celebrated their similarities instead of their differences: love of family, a profound belief in miracles and a deep respect for a Supreme Being no matter what religion you profess to.

It was my first time to witness a Hanukkah, which began with the Rabbi explaining its significance. Then a Hanukkiah (a menorah or candelabra with nine candles, the ninth being there to light the eight others) was lit by selected guests, not necessarily Jewish.

I could feel the reverence the Jews had for the ritual, and I felt the glow of peace that emanated from the candles. I felt privileged to witness a time-honored tradition.

In Hebrew, Hanukkah means dedication and is celebrated for eight days and nights. According to the Rabbi, the holiday commemorates the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Jews’ victory in 168 B.C.E. over the Hellenist Syrians. The Greek King of Syria outlawed Jewish rituals and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods.

Some Jews decided to fight back. After three years of fighting, the Jews defeated the Greek Army and Judah Maccabee and his soldiers went to holy Temple and were saddened that many things were missing and broken, including the golden menorah. They cleaned and repaired the Temple and they wanted to rededicate it. For the celebration, they wanted to light the menorah. They looked everywhere for oil and found a small flask that contained only enough oil to light the menorah for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted eight days!

Today, Jews celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting candles in a candelabra (called a Hanukkiah) every night, thus commemorating the eight-day miracle.

The Hanukkah is celebrated in Jewish homes with lots of rich dishes like fried potato pancakes, fried jam-filled doughnuts, chocolate cakes, baklava. Delicacies fried or baked in oil are eaten during Hanukkah to commemorate the miracle of the small flask of oil that burned for eight days instead of one. All these delicacies Madame Eti prepared from scratch in her kitchen. To top it all, she served divine couscous topped with a variety of colorful vegetables and plums. To me, the couscous represented what we all were that night — we were of different shapes and colors, but all together, we were one hit of a dish.

We were celebrating a miracle, including the miracle that is peace.

Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish brothers and sisters!

The Fruitcake Lady adds more cheer to her cakes

Why did Ju.D Lao, the Philippines’ “Fruitcake Lady,” decide to launch an online contest to give away 10 of her delicious, award-winning fruitcakes?

We think it is a continuation of Ju.D’s natural inclination to put meaning into everything she does, even as she continues to be inventive, to insist on quality and to spend most of her time doing volunteer work, while adhering to a strong work ethic. (To join the contest, log onto www.facebook.com/judsfruitcakes.)

Ju.D’s Fruitcake transformed her life, turning her into a television celebrity in Taiwan; a Philippine celebrity as The Fruitcake Lady who often guests on many TV shows; the author of two cookbooks published in Taiwan; and the winner of two awards for quality, namely, Most Outstanding Fruitcake Product Excellence Award and the National Award for Best Fruitcake Manufacturer in the Philippines. (To order, call 633-1188 or 633-0260; or go to 50 Greenmeadows Ave., Quezon City.)

When Ju.D bakes her fruitcake during the holiday season, she gives away unused but still fresh ingredients to convents and orphanages. She hires out-of-school youth to bake the fruitcakes, and she personally trains them.

Ju.D invented what may be the world’s first fruitcake cookie, the Chewy Chewkies and Ju.D Blue, a coffee fruitcake with Blue Mountain coffee and Kahlua coffee liqueur for an extra strong flavor.

When she joined forces with her beautiful daughter, Jamie, things changed and a student line of delicious Ginger Cookies made with honey, golden apricots, juicy red cranberries and delightful ginger tang.

Then Jamie added more delicious cookies at student prices — Almond Chocolate Chips, Ichigo San (Mr. Strawberry), Classic Chocolate Chip, New York Peppermint and Ginger Dark Chocolate.

Ju.D long opted not to go commercial because she didn’t want to sacrifice quality. She had always been content working in her kitchen, training the youth and making hers a family business.

Jamie, however, convinced Ju.D that more people could enjoy their products if they engage a good distribution system. They are in the process of doing this, and perhaps next year it will be easier to purchase Ju.D’s products at outlets closer to home.

That means this year may end a tradition long held by Ju.D in making her delicious fruitcakes as a home business. For good luck, she launched the Fruitcake contest. But her usual clients who comprise socialites, businessmen, politicians and celebrities can still purchase her products at her Greenmeadows home, for now.

Believe you me, her fruitcake is one you will not recycle.

(You may e-mail me at [email protected].)