My co-publisher Norman Greene and I were wondering how we could wish all of
you a Happy Chanukah in a meaningful way. As if by magic, the answer appeared in Heritage's e-mail in-basket.

We found that eight upbeat stories had been submitted to us, some from staff members, others from outside contributors. Eight stories—as in one for each of the eight nights of Chanukah!

Suddenly a light went on, or should I say eight lights. It's our pleasure to pass these stories on to you. Like so many readers, we too have a craving for "good news" stories!

For the first night of Chanukah, we offer Rabbi Martin S. Lawson's inaugural effort as a "Word of Torah" columnist for this newspaper. He offers a comparison between the story of Joseph and that of Chanukah. Lawson, who is spiritual leader of Temple Emanu-El, will be a voice for Reform Judaism. His viewpoint will be rotated in that column with those of Rabbis Alexis Roberts
(Reconstructionist), Leonard Rosenthal (Conservative) and Jeffrey Wohlgelernter (Orthodox). In welcoming Rabbi Lawson to the rotation, we bid fond farewell to Rabbi Deborah Prinz of Temple Adat Shalom, who completed a year representing the Reform viewpoint.

For the second night of Chanukah, our offering to you is a tale told by Rabbi Baruch Lederman in his regular "L'chaim" column about an American soldier and a young Holocaust survivor's fateful tussle over a menorah.

For night three, we are pleased to welcome a new contributor, Laura Walcher, who is one of our city's most highly regarded public relations professionals (and has a San Diego Press Club lifetime career award to prove it!) as well as an extraordinary storyteller. She tells us about her grandchild's question about beauty, and the search on which it led her.

On night four, another new contributor steps to the fore. Liz Morrison shares her research into the acceptance and love extended by San Diego synagogues toward gay and lesbian Jews looking for a spiritual home.

For the fifth night of Chanukah, Linda Elyad, who also is new to these pages, offers us an uplifting metaphor in the form of a jar of jelly.

For the sixth night, Joel Moskowitz, a retired pediatrician and psychiatrist familiar to regular Heritage readers, offers us an acrostic on bikur cholim, teaching us in the process how we can better relate to hospitalized patients.

Chanukah's seventh night we dedicate to a story by another new contributor, Sandy Marin. She shares her experiences with Hineynu ("Here We Are"), a group organized by Temple Solel to perform deeds of kindness.

Finally, on the eighth night of Chanukah, we are happy to present another in Rick Kamen's series from the "Harnessmaker's Son," in this case recalling the pushcarts of immigrant Jews who once lived along New York's Lower East Side.

We hope you will find these eight positive stories to be thought-provoking, humorous or entertaining. May the example of the original Chanukah inspire within each of us the determination to be true to our highest ideals!