Join WRKF as we celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights with holiday programming exploring culture, ritual, community, language, music, and tradition. We begin with the first night of Hanukkah on Thursday, December 7, and we conclude with further examination of faith and tradition on the final night of Hanukkah, Friday, December 15.
To learn more about our Winter Solstice programming, click here.
New Letters on the Air: Chanukah Tales
Thursday, December 7 at 7:30pm
Writer Marilyn Kallet reads from her book, “One for Each Night: Chanukah Tales and Recipes,” a collection of eight food inspired tales that explain traditional Chanukah dishes. We also put some of the recipes to a test with a family of four midwestern Jewish women, and share poetry and food to mark the holiday.
Hanukkah Lights 2023
Thursday, December 7 at 8pm
Sunday, December 10 at 5pm
Hanukkah Lights is an hourlong special celebrating the Jewish festival of lights through original stories read by Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz. This year we feature four of our favorite stories, written by authors Daniel Mark Epstein, Max Apple, Anne Burt, and Andy Borowitz, plus a special Hanukkah Tiny Desk performance by the LeeVees.
There’s a tale about a mother’s menorah collection that grew and grew. In another, listeners experience the reunion of childhood friends from Iran and the power of enduring friendship. There’s a story about a cynical college student whose chance encounter changes his perspective about family and Hanukkah. A different chance encounter has teenage cousins meeting in a science lab after a family rift kept them apart. And a lost and lonely immigrant searches for a sense of belonging. Join NPR for an hour of powerful and poignant storytelling about family, faith, and the miracle of Hanukkah.
Chanukah Memories and Melodies
Sunday, December 10 at 6pm
Six prominent artists share memories of Chanukah, and the music the holiday brings to mind. From soothing to surprising, from reverent to rowdy, their musical choices will inspire and delight you. With Broadway actress Tovah Feldshuh, social entrepreneur Aaron Dworkin, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, Sephardic music virtuoso Daphna Mor, conductor Eric Jacobsen, and Yiddish music maven Henry Sapoznik.
Eternal Echoes for Hanukkah
Sunday, December 10 at 7pm
Join violinist Itzhak Perlman and Jewish music scholar and performer Hankus Netsky for an hour of songs and stories celebrating the holiday known as "The Festival of Lights."
Humankind: Alternatives to War
Friday, December 15 at 7:30pm
With renewed violent clashes in the Middle East, we visit the remarkable Seeds of Peace summer camp near Portland, Maine, where Israeli and Arab teenagers, as well as youth from both sides of other conflict regions, break the ice and actually become friends in spite of their differences. Also, renowned conflict mediator William Ury, who co-wrote "Getting to Yes," explains that war is not inevitable, as long as society creates a "container" for conflict he calls the Third Side.
The Negotiators: Why Israeli-Palestinian Peace Plans Fail & Hollywood Writers Succeed
Friday, December 15 at 8pm
We learn about two historic negotiations – one failed and one successful – from the negotiators themselves. We begin with a peace effort from twenty years ago between Israelis and Palestinians that has a lot of lessons for the conflict today. And then, we hear from the chief negotiator of the Writer’s Guild of America about how she negotiated with Hollywood studio heads to end the recent writers’ strike.
Peter Bartu, political advisor (2001-2003) to the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, shares his experience trying to advance an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan 20 years ago. Bartu worked on “the Roadmap” with Israelis and Palestinians during the second intifada. Its fallout also contributed to the current conflict between Israel and Gaza.
Ellen Stutzman, an executive director of the Writer’s Guild of America and their chief negotiator, tells us how she negotiated with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to end the writers’ strike this fall. This interview, conducted by Negotiators’ senior producer Laura Rosbrow-Telem, is the most extensive one Stutzman has given since the deal was reached.
Host: Jennifer Williams, a deputy editor at Foreign Policy. She is also a frequent guest on WAMU/NPR's 1A. Before joining Foreign Policy, she was the senior foreign editor at Vox and co-host of Worldly, Vox’s weekly foreign affairs podcast.
