The Truth About Hanukkah
Josephine Rosman (12-4)
Photographed by Theo Wyss-Flamm (12-4)
I can be a bit of a grinch about Hanukkah--not because it’s not fun, but because there’s so much misinformation flying around. But because Voices is doing a December issue, I finally have time to clear up some misconceptions:
1: It’s spelled Hanukkah/Chanukka/Chanukah: Actually, the only “correct” spelling of the holiday is חנוכה. Because all translations between Hebrew and English are phonetic and subjective, no way of spelling Hanukkah is right or wrong (though spell-check seems to think otherwise).
2: The candle thing is called a menorah: This is only sort of wrong, but it’s still on my list. The hanukkiah is the proper name for the candelabra with 9 candleholders (with one set apart from the others to hold the shamash) that we light on Hanukkah. A menorah is a more general term for a man-made light source, and a hanukkiah is just one kind of menorah. It’s not wrong to say menorah when you mean hanukkiah, but it’s not quite right either.
3: Hanukkah is basically the Jewish Christmas: This is wrong for a lot of reasons, with the most obvious one being that Judaism is a separate religion that predates Christianity. However, it is true that the modern commercialization and showiness of Hanukkah is due in part to an attempt to match Christmas’ appeal to younger generations.
4: Okay, but Hanukkah is still an important holiday: Wrong again! Hanukkah is considered a “minor” festival, and it isn’t mentioned in the Torah. Instead, the main sources for the holiday are the Book of Maccabees (part of the Christian Bible) and an offhand mention in the Talmud. Hanukkah wasn’t celebrated in earnest until the mass immigration of Jews to America. The early Hanukkah celebrations in America were part of the great American Jewish struggle: how to become a part of American culture while still asserting your Jewish identity. Holidays like Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover, Sukkot, and Purim are way more important.
5: Gelt is delicious: Wrong. Gelt is disgusting. For those who don’t know, gelt is the name for the little chocolate coins that have become part of the Hanukkah tradition. They sound good, but they’re basically the black licorice of Jewish foods.
6: Holiday Break lets everyone celebrate their holidays!: Nope. This year, Hanukkah does fall during the break, but because Jews use the Hebrew calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar, Hanukkah and Christmas only align sometimes. And, because Hanukkah is a minor holiday (see point 3), it doesn’t actually matter if we get off for Hanukkah or not. For us, a “holiday break” would make the most sense over the High Holy Days, the ten most important days on the Hebrew Calendar. But we don’t even get the second day of Rosh Hashanah off, which means that Jewish students have to choose between fulfilling a commandment of their religion and going to school. I can’t speak for those who practice other religions, but I figure an ideal “holiday break” for most non-Christians would come at some other time. “Holiday Break” is nice, but it’s not designed for the rest of us--not that I’m complaining about the days off.