Kids
Continued from Page 29
Of course, many Jewish families’ December ritual is a get-
away to Florida, the Caribbean or someplace else with palm
trees. But like the Lerners, many who stay around Philadelphia
seek out local diversion over schools’ winter (read: Christmas-to-
secular-New Year) break. When Chanukah comes early, as it does
this year, fi lling a dozen frigid days with activity can feel all the
more challenging.

Parents, don’t despair: We live in a golden age for Christmas-
week Jewish programming.

“Twenty years ago, nothing was open on Christmas,” recalled
Stephanie Dworkin, who devises vacation programming as mar-
keting director at the Katz Jewish Community Center in Cherry
Hill, N.J. “It was just Chinese food and the movies.”
Contrast that with recent Christmas Eves in Cherry Hill,
when up to 400 people hit the Katz JCC for a twist on the ritual:
Laughter & Lo Mein, an evening of “comedians, Chinese food and
cheap drinks,” Dworkin said. Th e following morning, in what has
become a Dec. 25 standby for hundreds of youngsters, the JCC
hosts its annual “character breakfast,” a bagel-and-cereal party
themed around cartoons like Dora the Explorer or Paw Patrol.

“It’s always a packed house,” said JCC Assistant Director Brian
Adler. “I’ve worked it every year for 11 years, and it always, always
sells out. Because if you’re a family with young Jewish kids, what
exactly are you doing on Christmas Day?”
Many fi nd the answer at Philadelphia’s National Museum of
American Jewish History (NMAJH), where the annual Dec. 25
“Being ___ at Christmas” all-day, all-ages event is a highlight not
only for Jews, but also — as the fi ll-in-the-blank implies — for
legions of non-Christmas-celebrators. Th e all-day program features
music, craft s, face painting and story time; Russian speakers can
join the museum meetup organized by jkidphilly’s Russian group.

Joe Hassman as Santa and from left: Cindy Salzman, Vered Salzman,
Rayna Salzman and Dan Salzman volunteering at the Ronald McDonald
House in Camden, N.J., on Christmas morning. .

PHOTO PROVIDED
One trend that is gaining popularity is the Christmas Day mitz-
vah, in which Jews volunteer at a soup kitchen or food pantry on a
day when few others are available.

Dan Salzman, a Bala Cynwyd IT professional, takes his two
young daughters to hand out Christmas presents for sick children
and their families at the Ronald McDonald house in Camden,
N.J., which provides lodging during medical treatment. Salzman’s
extended clan established the Dec. 25 tradition; his cousin, Joseph
Hassman, and wife Lillian of Cherry Hill organize the event, play-
ing Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Five-year-old Vered “rings the bell at each door and is like
an elf ” as she distributes bags full of gift s, said Salzman, whose
younger daughter, 2-year-old Rayna, will join this year.




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00081986 Th e caroling and pancake break-
fast are fun, but Salzman also sees an
opportunity to teach valuable Jewish
lessons about tikkun olam and tze-
dakah. Vered “realizes the gift s are
not for her, that this is something
that makes these kids really happy,”
Salzman noted. “We explain that
Santa Claus isn’t in our religion, but
it’s a time to celebrate other people’s
tradition and enjoy it with them.”
Others who feel that way can join
jkidphilly’s annual Mitzvah Morning
at the Kaiserman JCC in Wynnewood;
this year, as many as 200 kids will
make bookmarks to promote liter-
acy. For a growing number of Jews,
observed organizer Lori Rubin,
Christmas means “coming together
as a community to do something,”
she said. “It’s about being Jewish and
doing Jewish on Christmas Day.”
Geared toward what Rubin calls
“the PJ Library demographic” —
toddlers through tweens — Mitzvah
Morning highlights a diff erent Jewish
value each year; kids have arranged
fl owers for assisted-living residents,
and packaged breakfasts for the hun-
gry. A quieter, “sensory-friendly”
room ensures that every child can
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See KIDS, page 32
The Good Life
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NOVEMBER 22, 2018
31