Hanukkah: Students reflect on Festival of Lights

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The last time business sophomore Ilana Ostro was given a Hanukkah present, it was a bicycle helmet she received in the eighth grade.

“We don’t always get gifts, but that’s not the most important part (of the holiday),” Ostro said. “It’s about being at home with family and friends.”

Hanukkah, also known as the “Festival of Lights,” is celebrated by Jews around the world, which is why Ostro said she considers it such a special holiday.

“Hanukkah is one of those holidays where every kind of Jew celebrates it worldwide,” Ostro said. “Knowing that every Jewish person around you is celebrating the same holiday on the same day is really cool.”

The story of Hanukkah is considered a miracle by those who observe the holiday, said Frederick Kamil, an interdisciplinary humanities senior and president of the Hillel Jewish Student Center.

After the Jewish people of Jerusalem escaped religious oppression brought on by the Greeks, they rededicated their holy Temple by lighting the menorah, which translates to “candlestick.” The miracle occurred when a small amount of oil, which was only expected to last for one day, stayed lit for eight days.

“We celebrate this historical event because we are grateful to be able to practice our religion,” Kamil said.

Many Jews consider lighting the menorah the most important aspect of Hanukkah, although there are a lot of other traditions involved in this “Festival of Lights,” Kamil said.

Electrical engineering freshman Scott Friedman’s favorite part about Hanukkah has to do with who he celebrates it with.

“It’s all about bringing family together,” Friedman said. “It’s the time of year when everyone comes in and has a good time, good food and good drinks. It’s like a family reunion. And presents are a big part of it, too.”

Friedman’s favorite food to eat on Hanukkah are potato latkes, also known as a potato pancakes.

“Latkes are one of the things you only get to eat once a year,” he said.

Rabbi Hendel Weingarten said latkes are a traditional Hanukkah food because they are made with lots of oil.

Friedman considers Hanukkah more of a family tradition than a religious holiday.

“We don’t attend religious services. It’s more about family,” he said.

A significant part of the holiday also includes the dreidel game.

The dreidel is a square-shaped spinning top with a different Hebrew letter on each side – nun, gimmel, hei and shin. The letters form an acronym that means “the great miracle happened there,” Kamil said.

Dreidels may date back to the time when Jews were under religious oppression by the Greeks. Spinning tops was a way for Jews to con the Greeks into believing they were playing games and not studying the Torah.

Today, the game is played for chocolate coins, or gelt.

Ostro said she is looking forward to lighting the menorah and eating traditional Hanukkah foods this year.

“(Yesterday was) my first time baking sufganiot,” she said. “They are really good jelly-filled doughnuts.”

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