Mazel Tov/ Hannukah 101

By Meaghan Isaacs

isaa0027@algonquincollege.com

Hanukkah, which has as many alternate spellings as Woody Allen has neuroses, is a Jewish celebration also known as the Festival of Lights.

An eight day celebration, Hanukkah, or Chanukah, its Hebrew name, which means “dedication”, is celebrated by a number of rituals performed each day. But busy students may find it hard to keep up, and thus, over time, the celebration has shifted and adapted to fit into contemporary society.

“The idea of giving gifts is not inherent to Hanukkah, originally it was giving Gelt - or money as rewards having knowledge about the holiday, but since gifts were given for Christmas, Jews added to the holiday,” said Bobby Wollock, Hillel Algonquin president.

Hanukkah commences on the 25th day of Kislev, which has 29 or 30 days, and comes to an end on the 2nd or 3rd day of Tevet.

“This year it is even easier to celebrate it because it starts on the 21st of December - when most people are finished writing exams and done with the semester,” said Wollock.

With schoolwork out of the way, students can celebrate Hanukkah by spending time with their family and friends, which Wollock recalls as his favourite Hanukkah memories are simply being around those he cares about.

Some synagogues in Ottawa, such as Temple Israel and Agudath Israel offer free admission to their High Holiday services for those that bring student ID cards as proof of their full-time status. This makes it easier and affordable for students to get to a place of worship during the holidays, especially those that are not from Ottawa and are hard up for cash after buying all their holiday gifts.

“As kids we would [celebrate Hanukkah] but now that we’re older we don’t. I think it was different for my parents because religion was a much bigger thing for them because it was an even bigger thing to their parents,” said Jared Gelfand, an Algonquin business student, who recalls his favourite part of Hanukkah was lighting the candles and receiving presents.

Amanda Klaman, a University of Ottawa theatre graduate who celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah, realizes that the celebration has been given greater status because of its close proximity to the Christmas holiday.

“Hanukkah is a lovely festival with an enduring, endearing message and traditions all its own. But it is not the ‘Jewish Christmas’, nor was it ever intended to be. For truly devout Jews, Hanukkah may still carry a heavy meaning. But for the rest of us, it's a point of reflection,” said Klaman. “The Hanukkah story reminds us all how, in spite of incredible odds, the human spirit can triumph. And perhaps that's good enough. Plus, there's that dreidel song.”

Menorah: The Menorah is used during Hanukkah, with one candle lit each day for the eight days it is celebrated. For students away from home or short on cash, Menorahs can actually be made, as long as it fits the requirement of all the candles being the same height and level, except for the shamash, the service candle, which lights all the other candles.

Dreidel: Dreidels (or ‘dreydl’ in Yiddish) a four-sided top, are a popular toy for children to play with during this holiday season, also used in gambling games. Each side of the top has a letter from the Hebrew alphabet on it.