THE CHANUKKAH TREE

Traditionalists will be pleased to find that this story (published last year in Cricket) comes down, with a couple of comic twists, on the orthodox side of this holiday issue. A peddler, anxious to get rid of his last Christmas tree, tricks the credulous people of Chelm into buying it on the grounds that ""Chanukkah trees are the latest thing"" in America. They decorate it with latkes, dreidels, and, on top, a six-pointed star, complete with the synagogue door on which it's carved. Then an American happens by and tells them that even in America there's no such thing as a Chanukkah tree. Still, in the morning they are pleased to discover the birds feasting on the latkes, while sheltered by the door. So the tree becomes a tradition--but only in Chelm, famous for its fools. Kimmel makes his point in a well-told, good-humored story; Israeli artist Carmi caricatures the simpletons to satisfactory comic effect. Useful, entertaining holiday fare.