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uptownshangri-la.com UPTOWN 6407 Orchard Lake Road (15 Mile & Orchard Lake) 248.626.8585 DAILY DIM SUM MIDTOWN 4710 Cass Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48201 313.974.7669 DAILY DIM SUM & SUSHI CHINESE PEOPLE EAT HERE Inside Orchard Mall - Orchard Lake and Maple - West Bloomfield, MI 48322 - 248.626.0886 SALLY'S D E S I G N B O U T I Q U E Thanksgiving Sale 25% - 50% OFF Monday Nov. 20 th - Saturday Nov. 25 th *excludes accessories + select designers November 16 • 2017 45 jn lasting eight days but of the victory of a small band of Maccabees over a large army in history's first battle for religious freedom, which was taught to us by our sages and is contained within the Talmud," Dubov said. "We can tackle darkness and evil with the light of just one little candle. We add one more each night as if we are adding to our efforts to bring more good deeds into this world. Today, our non-Jewish neighbors have respect for Jews who are proud of their religion. This is exactly what the founding fathers of the United States wanted [ freedom of religion] to mean." Just as ancient rabbis Hillel and Shamai debated the correct way to light a chanukiah — the former believed that we should add light each night and the latter believed that we should begin the festival with eight lights and take one away each night — our contemporary Detroit rabbis also have vary- ing opinions about very public Chanukah celebrations versus more intimate, private ones. Rabbi Marla Hornsten of Temple Israel of West Bloomfield interprets the publicizing of the Chanukah miracle as being about being able to be more public with one's Jewish identity without living in fear. She also recalls several times in this country, especially in recent years in Montana, when entire towns placed cut-out menorahs in their windows after the Jewish community there was threatened when displaying their own menorahs. "I remember when at times I used to tuck my Jewish star necklace into my sweater to hide my iden- tity," Hornsten said. "Now there are menorahs that are 10 feet tall in the middle of Detroit. It is definitely a different time." Though she understands the appeal of the festival-like settings of Chabad's annual Menorah in the D celebration, in her lifetime, she connected most with the holiday in Jerusalem, where nearly every family lights an oil-lit cha- nukiah displayed in a glass enclosure just outside their front window. Rabbi Mark Miller of Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Hills also sees a difference between the "public nature" of Chanukah and public menorah lightings. Miller said that it is the responsibility of each Jew — wheth- er they live alone or live with a fam- ily — to "add a little bit of light to our neighborhoods, and play a vital role in creating the ideals for which we stand. "That beauty can be lost when, instead of each of us doing our small part, we are all gathered together for one, large lighting in a public setting," Miller said. "Instead of many small gestures transforming the nature of our community, it becomes a solitary gesture aimed at making a splash." Rabbi Mitch Parker of Congregation B'nai Israel of West Bloomfield also thinks about the inti- mate beauty of the oil-lit chanukiyot in Jerusalem. He added that it is also a good thing to be able to celebrate this minor holiday within our private homes and among large, public cel- ebrations in the United States. "How wonderful is it that we now live in a place and at a time when we can freely both carry out an impor- tant mitzvah of Chanukah in public and not be afraid of retribution on the part of our neighbors," Parker said. "All the more reason to cel- ebrate this holiday in which we com- memorate the freedom to practice our religion." • ABOVE: Chanukiyot in Israel are often displayed outside in a glass case, like these in Jerusalem.