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December 8, 2000/Kislev 11, 5761, Vol. 53, No.11
A Jew-Phoo Hanukkah
BARRY COHEN
Community Editor
Every day after turkey day, the shops in Phoo-ville changed/ With decorations and products and music rearranged.
Everywhere Phoos looked, they saw only red and green/ With tinsel, lights, candles and fir trees filling the scene.
The Phoos seemed to love it, lining up early for gifts/ Running and scrambling and sprinting to complete lists.
There was one Jew-Phoo, though, who disliked this time of year/ He avoided eateries and groceries, with joy spread like veneer.
He only saw purchases, sales, greed and bottom line/ Rudeness, obsession and "Hey, that last one, it's mine!"
On Sundays, he taught little Jew-Phoos about Jew-Phoos of old/ The students thought Hanukkah-Phoo was about gifts purchased and sold.
The story meant little, the lights and dreidels barely more/ Hanukkah-Phoo was just a time for presents to even the score.
He saw so many parent Jew-Phoos acting like all of the rest/ If given a quiz about Hanukkah-Phoo, most would not pass the test.
But Hanukkah-Phoo was lucky to fall when it was begotten/ In most other lands it was minor and almost forgotten.
When Jew-Phoo taught the real meaning, he couldn't get through/ The little ones only yelled "gifts!" - He knew what he had to do.
When the parents came home from shopping, he snuck up with daring and grace/ And took away their presents and left a message in their place.
"If you want the gifts for your little Jew-Phoos again in your sight/ Then you'd better study and teach them at least one lesson each night."
The teacher listed much info occurring a long time ago/ About a Greek Antiochus Epiphanes-Phoo who made Jew-Phoos scream, "Oh, no!"
Way back in 167 B.C.E., when the Greek-Phoos controlled the land/ They tried to make everyone like them, and they used a strong hand.
To them praying to the God of the Jew-Phoos was not right/ Instead Antiochus-Phoo wanted them to worship his gods, and he used all his might.
Jew-Phoo ritual, practice and prayer were no longer allowed/ To prove the point, the Greek-Phoos at Modi'in-Phoo drew quite a crowd.
"Offer this pig-phoo to our gods, or you'll surely regret it!"/ But Mattathias-Phoo responded, "Hey Greek-Phoos, forget it!"
Along with his Jew-Phoo family who did not want just to be Phooish/ They began a fight for their right to be much more Phoo-Jewish.
When Mattathias grew too old he chose his son Judah-Phoo to lead/ He fought so hard and so strong they called him Judah-Phoo Maccabee.
On 25 Kislev-Phoo, they won and, relieved, said, "Oh gosh!"/ And began to rededicate the Holy Temple, the Beit HaMikdash.
The Jew-Phoo oil they found for only one day should be ablaze/ But a Jew-Phoo miracle occurred, and it burned for eight days.
If Mattathias-Phoo's family had not responded to his call/ Then most likely there'd be no Phoos, now as we know 'em at all.
The teacher said to remember there's much more to the story/ Hanukkah-Phoo is the time - to our God and people - to give glory.
Being different from everyone else sometimes requires a fight/ We can give gifts to celebrate as long as we get the message right.
So light the candles, spin the dreidel and sing songs with pride/ But let the flame that burns the brightest be the Jew-Phoo flame that's inside.
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