It’s the second night of Chanukah, and here is my hanukkiah (the specific word for what we often call a menorah). The dreidel came with a box of Godiva chocolates from my friend Kim (hi, Kim!), who sent me a box of mints this year. Yum. Mints.

The reason there are three candles is because the one on the far right is the shammus, the one you light the rest with. My grandfather used only one for all eight days, but my brothers and I always like the extra light.

You have to light the candles before Shabbat on Friday, which led to a frantic amount of activity at Sarah’s yesterday—she forgot to leave the candles out for me, and she had already gone out to pick up dinner. So the kids and I searched, found a set of candles that were way too nice to be used, and instead, made two beeswax candles from the make-a-candle kit.

Jake, the oldest, got a huge kick out of trying to beat the clock. “Hurry! We have like two minutes!” I told him. He insisted he could do it in time. He was right.

Tonight, you light the candles after Shabbat is over. Yes, it’s confusing, but that’s why the last line of the song “De Ganza Mishpacha” is “It’s difficult being a Jew!”

Difficult, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

Color me shocked, shocked, I tell you.

The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Friday to establish an office to register Palestinian damage claims stemming from Israel’s construction of a barrier in the West Bank.

Israel and the United States strongly opposed the creation of the new office, which will be based in Vienna, Austria.

Israel began building the barrier in 2002 to stop Palestinian suicide bombers who were infiltrating from the West Bank. Palestinians say it is an attempt to grab their land and has obstructed their freedom of movement.

Wow, what’s wrong with the AP? That was actually an accurated depiction of Israel’s reason to build the fence. But wait, now we get to the heart of the matter:

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Dan Gillerman said Israel already has a mechanism for Palestinians to register claims for compensations related to the barrier’s construction. He said 140 cases have already been reviewed and more than $1.5 million has been paid to Palestinians. He criticized the Palestinians for going to the United Nations “to put another political mechanism in place that does not and will not bring relief to your people.”

The United States made the same point and strongly objected to the estimated cost of over $2 million a year for the register, with no provision for its mandate to be reviewed or concluded.

And there you have it, folks: It’s another Israel-bashing tool to be used to delegitimize Israel via the UN. Step by step by step, the Arab and Islamic world adds to Iran’s litany against the Jewish state. The infamous “Zionism equals racism” resolution was rescinded, but it remains as one of the lowest points in the UN’s checkered career. (John Bolton, the UN Ambassador that the Democrats refuse to approve, is one of the people who worked tirelessly to get that disgusting resolution revoked.)

Methinks it’s time to finally add a “UN” category to this blog, because it seems that they UN is insisting on giving me more material to write about.

The next time someone tells you that Iran is a democratic state, show them this:

LONDON, December 12 (IranMania) - About 78 Tehran City Council election candidates have withdrawn from the race, Tehran’s governor said.

Vajiollah Aqataqi also told IRNA that 1,244 candidates will be competing in the council elections on Friday.

“A total of 1,441 people had registered for the Tehran Islamic City Council, of whom 119 were disqualified,“ he said.

Aqataqi said the candidates must abide by the election campaign regulations and their deadline.

The Experts Assembly, Majlis midterm and council elections will be held concurrently on December 15 throughout the country.

Anyone who says Iran is a democracy is a liar or a fool. People have to be vetted and approved before they are allowed to run for office in Iran, by an unelected religious council.

By the way, here’s something you don’t read about very often: Bombs going off in Iran.

LONDON, December 16 (IranMania) - Two bombs exploded simultaneously in Zahedan, Fars News Agency reported.

One bomb exploded at 21:30 (1800 GMT) on Thursday night across from the Governor’s Office in a Paykan car, which belonged to a young driver and had been stolen two days earlier.

The bomb exploded while the young driver was in the car, damaging four other cars nearby.

Simultaneously, another bomb exploded near Zahedan University, injuring a student from Nahbandan and breaking windowpanes nearby.

Seyyed Mohammad Sadeqi, political and security deputy of Sistan-Baluchestan province, told IRNA, “The explosive device was concealed in a car parked on Shariati Ave., north of the Governor’s Office.“

Not all is well in Iran. But the elections will be spun by the media as “democratic,” regardless.

And the count for vandalized menorah displays begins:

AMHERST - The menorah on the Town Common may have been damaged, but the spirit of the holiday has not.

“We want this to be a catalyst for more people to come and see the lights and join in the celebration of light over night,” said Rabbi Yoseph S. Gottlieb, who works at the Chabad House which serves the Five Colleges and is located near the University of Massachusetts campus.

The Menorah, which was put up on the common on Wednesday night, was discovered yesterday morning with one of its arms broken and its light bulbs pulled out of their sockets, Gottlieb said.

You may remember there was more than a little menorah vandalization going on last year. So does the media:

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. - Organizers who saw their 15-foot menorah vandalized two years in a row are moving forward with plans for an elaborate festival this year to commemorate the first day of Hanukkah.

Robert Cohen, who built the giant, steel menorah five years ago, said plans are underway for a prayer service and children’s festival Dec. 15 in Ladera Ranch, a planned community near Mission Viejo.

Last year, vandals cut through the menorah’s base, broke its lightbulbs and smashed its stars in what police called a hate crime. The year before, someone put toilet paper around the menorah, a nine-branched candelabrum that is used to celebrate the Sabbath and Jewish holidays including Hanukkah.

No arrests have been made.

We’ll see if anything happens to it this year. I’m guessing yes.