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A Jew's Lament in the Christmas SeasonDec 19 '02 (Updated Feb 11 '03) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Channukah is not Christmas-lite. I don't have a tree and don't need another ornament.
I'm Jewish. I wear a necklace with a chai on it. Chai is the Hebrew word for life and has a numeric value of 18. It is also a sign worn by many Jews. When I don't wear a Chai, I usually wear a Magen David (a star of David/Jewish Star) and/or a Hamsah (an extended hand). Both of these are also symbols worn by Jews. Even if my jewelery didn't reflect my Jewishness, I wear it openly. I am Jewish in public. I talk about my mother as a survivor of the Holocaust. I talk about my family and my own involvement in our synagogue. I talk about celebrating the holidays. When we discussed literature from/about the Holocaust in my English class, the fact that I am a Jew came up. My Jewishness was honored by one of my students who gave me a Channukah gift this year during the holiday. It was a lovely blue and gold Christmas tree ornament wrapped up in Santa Claus wrapping paper. Lovely as it is, I don't have a Christmas tree because I don't celebrate Christmas. My collection of similar Christmas tree ornaments received from students and colleagues over the years is now sufficient to actually decorate a rather sizable tree of my own. Sadly, these decorations sit in the closet. I have no use for them myself. I can't "regift" anyone because most of these are inappropriate for Christians and wouldn't be used by Jews. As to the Santa Claus paper...well, I also don't have Santa as part of my tradition. Perhaps some explanation about Channukah is in order. Channukah is not a Jewish version of Christmas. The only thing the two stories have in common is that they take place in what is now Israel/Palestine while that place is under the control of a foreign ruler. The story of Channukah goes something like this.... Long ago in what was then known as the land of Judea, was ruled by a Syrian king named Antiochus. This is during the time of Alexander the great, and so Syria had been largely Hellenized. He ordered the Jewish people to reject their God, their religion, their customs and their beliefs. Instead, he told them they had to worship other gods. Though some went along and did as they were told, many people refused. One of those who refused was the High Priest in a town called Modin. The priest's name was Mattathias. When a soldier came to town and erected an idol, he did not speak up. When the soldier made the entire village come to the town square to see the idol, he came. However, when the soldier told him to set an example to his people and bow down and worship the idol, he refused. Killing the soldier, he knocked down the idol and climbed upon the plinth on which it had sat. He cried out, "Whoever is in favor of the L-rd, follow me." Many followed him that day into the hills including his five sons. They began to fight against the Syrians using guerrilla tactics. The leader of the guerrilla army was one of Mattathias's sons. His name was Judah. Judah became known as Judah Maccabee which means hammer. They called him that because his army's attacks were like fierce like the blows of a hammer. After three years of fighting, the Maccabee army succeeded in driving the Syrians out of Judea. They also reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem. They went to clean the Temple and to remove the hated Syrian and Greek symbols and statues. On the 25th day of the month of Kislev, the job was finished and the temple was rededicated to G-d. There is more to the story than just this, but that's the bare bones of the story. There is another part of the story which is now recognized as a legend along the same lines of George Washington and the cherry tree. Many believe it has historical roots, but it does not. This story involves the rededication of the Temple. Supposedly when all was completed, only enough of the holy oil for lighting the lamps of the Temple could be found to last a single day. A miracle happened, however, and the oil lasted eight days which was supposed to be long enough to produce more oil. This oil story was not actually part of the holiday until centuries later. The Jews were once more living in conquered territory. This time they were under Roman rule. They wanted to continue to celebrate Channukah, but knew that celebrating a small army kicking the butt of a large army was probably a good way to tick off the Romans. It might cause the Roman's to crack down more and to take away more rights. The focus of the holiday shifted. This shifting caused there to be a tradition of eating foods fried in oil to remember the made up miracle. Thus, Jews from Europe and in America tend to eat latkes (potato pancakes) as holiday food. In Israel, they eat Sufganyot - jelly donuts....all because they're friend in oil, and this reminds of us of the miracle that actually never happened. Channukah is a historic holiday. It celebrates a victory and freedom. On the Jewish calendar, it is a minor holiday. (Consider it the Columbus Day of the Jewish Calendar). Christians largely have just two holidays - Christmas and Easter. As a result, they make a very big deal out of both of these. (Yes, I know that Halloween, Valentine's and St. Patrick's day are all originally Christian celebrations, but most don't recognize them as such.) Jews have many holidays throughout the year and so have both major and minor ones. Because of its proximity to Christmas, Channukah has taken on added significance. The last symbol of Channukah that most know about is the dreydl. This is a four-sided top. On each side, there is a Hebrew letter. The letters are : Nun, Gimel, Hay & Shin (outside Israel)/Pay (inside Israel). These are the first letters of the Hebrew phrase "Nes Gadol Haya Sham" outside of Israel and "Nes Gadol Haya Po" inside of Israel. This translates as "A great miracle happened there" outside of Israel and as "A great miracle happened here" inside of Israel. The players spin the top. If the top lands on Nun, the player does nothing. If it lands on Gimel, the player gets everything in the kitty. If the dreydl lands on Hay, the player gets half the kitty. If it lands on Shin, the player has to put into the kitty. Generally the game is played with nuts, candies, or small coins. Supposedly the playing of this gambling game came about because the Syrians wouldn't let the Jews study their holy books. They were not to be stopped. They continued in secret while someone would keep watch. If someone came to where the study was happening, the scholars would hide the books and break out the gambling stuff. Gambling, you see, was allowed. So that's a little about Channukah. It's not a Christmas story. If you have friends who celebrate Channukah and want to give them presents, please don't give them Christmas gifts; give them Channukah gifts. Don't give them things to hang on Christmas trees or wrap it up in Santa Claus paper. Remember that plain wrapping paper or paper that says only Season's Greetings is a nice alternative. Snowmen and snowflakes are fine. If your friend keeps Kosher know that they probably can't use food you've prepared in your house at their house. (Many are not that strict, but it might pay to ask before you bake.) When it comes to store bought food, look for a symbol that indicates it is Kosher. I can tell you that for me, it's the thought that counts. Nothing is more touching to me than a friend who manages to find a Channukah card or Channukah wrapping paper for me. Nothing means more to me than that a co-worker, student, or friend finds out when Channukah is and gives me my gift before or during that holiday. After all, these people have shown real thought. Channukah isn't Christmas-lite. And don't forget that these aren't the only holidays this time of year either. There's also the Winter Solstice and Kwanza. Honor all the celebrants by learning what they're celebrating. It means a lot. ********* If you would like to read more of my essays on Jewish traditions, you can follow one of these links. Why Jews Circumcise Keeping it Kosher – The Basics Israeli Time and Holiday Traditions  |
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