I recently celebrated Shabbat morning in a way I don\u2019t recommend. I stepped out of my house for the dog walk, thought, \u201cOh, slippery!\u201d The next thing I knew, I lost my footing. I fell down several stone steps. I ended up on the sidewalk. I\u2019d let go of the leash. My large dog stood patiently, looking concerned, as I lay on the front walk, assessing the situation.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve had a long and temperate fall here in Winnipeg. The light glaze of ice that covered everything was an unfortunate surprise. I\u2019m very lucky. I was able to get up. I went back up the front stairs with the dog and got help. While I\u2019m bruised and my hands were bloodied, nothing broke. While I would have preferred to go right back to bed, I stayed active enough to manage the rest of the weekend. My kids volunteer at services, so I still had to go there, too. Sometimes, what we want isn\u2019t possible, so we make the best of the situation.<\/p>\n
I think about Hanukkah, and the adversity that Jews face, in this way. In the best possible situation, we wouldn\u2019t have to fight physically or verbally to maintain our traditions. We would be able to celebrate in a full-throated way, without hesitation. Yet, that option doesn\u2019t always feel possible, even if we might think that embracing Jewish joy is the best way forward.<\/p>\n
The issue arose for me recently when I participated in an accessible \u201cmake along.\u201d This event, called Fasten Off, has a period each fall where knitting and crochet designers offer a big discount on their downloadable patterns. It is intended to be as accessible as possible to people with disabilities, as well as those with other challenges. There are multiple categories of challenges: non-gendered, low-vision, sizing for those who are taller or larger than average. For the first time, this year, there was a category on the form that one could tick off that said, \u201cmarginalized religious group.\u201d I really didn\u2019t know what to do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s true that my designs include kippot and a hamantashen baby rattle stuffie. I have never hidden my identity. Now, in Canada, Jews are a marginalized group, with documented hate crime numbers and antisemitism rising. However, I wondered what would happen if I checked off this box. Would it mean fewer people would buy my work? More? What benefit would it have? I both ticked off the box and contacted the organizer to mention my concern. I got no response at all, which made me feel even more worried.<\/p>\n My sales stats show what a huge shift the last two years have been. Previously, one of my kippah patterns, as an example, had been a dependable seller. I looked up this design\u2019s sales and found I\u2019d sold only about 16 kippah patterns (all styles) on three sales platforms during two years of the Gaza war. In the previous year, 2022\/23, I sold 14 copies of this pattern on only one sales platform. As a result of this drastic sales drop (I have more than 80 designs online), I ended up taking a break from designing. It no longer became cost-effective to sink money into creating new designs when knitters no longer make even these small purchases. It doesn\u2019t mean my business interests changed. The situation has. I\u2019m still marketing my work, offering discounts and trying to attract interest \u2013 even while being part of a \u201cmarginalized group.\u201d<\/p>\n Our tradition teaches us to pivot when things are challenging. In the Torah parsha<\/i> (portion) Toldot, Isaac grows successful as a shepherd. (Genesis 26:13 and onwards) However, when he increases his household and flocks, he needs more water. When he digs new wells, he runs into trouble. First, the Philistines fill up his old wells and, then, as he moves onward, digging new ones, other herdsmen object. He pivots, digging new wells in new places until he finds one that works out. Meanwhile, in time, those who objected to him previously seek a reconciliation, seeing Isaac\u2019s divine fortune, and they make peace. (Genesis 26:31)<\/p>\n After hearing this portion chanted in synagogue, a friend reminded me that sometimes being resilient means pivoting or waiting with patience when faced with adversity. Things don\u2019t turn around right away. We both have engaged in a lot of Jewish advocacy and antisemitism education work over the past year together. She is a professional, public figure, while I tend to write and reach out behind the scenes as a volunteer. Sometimes, my efforts net quick responses, and I know what I said mattered. Other times, I have no idea if anyone received my email or if they read it. I keep trying, as I\u2019m invested in this effort to make life better for Canadian Jews for the long haul.<\/p>\n I believe that bringing up issues concerning antisemitism education, equity reviews in schools and school curriculum matters makes a difference. Sometimes my message reaches the right reporter or school official. Sometimes, it doesn\u2019t or it fails. Yet, in every situation, it\u2019s important to pick myself up, dust myself off \u2013 and start all over again, even if the setbacks can hurt.<\/p>\n During Hanukkah, we celebrate the triumph of regaining religious freedom and peace. We use candles to illustrate the metaphor of bringing light to dark times. Sometimes that light is sweeter because of the struggle beforehand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m still very sore from tumbling down our icy front steps, but I\u2019m also incredibly grateful. This morning, the dog barked, asking for her walk and, while I may still be hobbling and bruised for a bit, I was able to get outside again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That opportunity, to keep digging wells, reaching out to others and continuing to try? It matters. Some might see Jews as marginalized, but it\u2019s also possible to take another read. Rather, we\u2019re lucky and resilient, too, a people offering religious freedom and Hanukkah light to other nations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Joanne Seiff<\/b> has written regularly for the Winnipeg Free Press and various Jewish publications. She is the author of three books, including <\/i>From the Outside In: Jewish Post Columns 2015-2016, a collection of essays available for digital download or as a paperback from Amazon. Check her out on Instagram @yrnspinner<\/a> or at joanneseiff.blogspot.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I recently celebrated Shabbat morning in a way I don\u2019t recommend. I stepped out of my house for the dog walk, thought, \u201cOh, slippery!\u201d The next thing I knew, I lost my footing. I fell down several stone steps. I ended up on the sidewalk. I\u2019d let go of the leash. 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