Stockton- During the month of December, one of the biggest Jewish holidays is celebrated; this being Hanukkah. The holiday is full of delicious food, lighting the menorah, games and presents. Over the years, it has become more widely known throughout the world with the national menorah lighting in Washington DC, the annual Hanukkah party hosted by the president, and mentions of it in TV shows or movies. Coming from a Jewish household, I grew up every year building memories with my family as we celebrate the Festival Of Lights.
In the second century B.C.E. a cruel Greek ruler imposed beliefs on the Jewish people and ruined their holy temple. The Maccabees were a group of Israelites who refused to follow these beliefs, which led to a battle against the Greeks. The small group of dedicated followers eventually won, protecting the sacred Torah and reclaiming the temple. They found only one jug of oil remaining, which would only be enough to light the lamp for one night. However, by a miracle, it burned for eight until more of the sacred oil containers arrived. They were over filled with joy, which is how the Hanukkah celebrations began. This is where the holiday name comes from, as it means “dedication” in English representing the Jewish people’s rededication of the sacred temple in Jerusalem.
Hanukkah symbolized joy and happiness like it did all those years ago and is meant to fill lives with happiness. One of my favorite memories which always brings a smile to my face when I think about it is when I was in elementary school and my mom would come to my classroom and teach our class how to play the popular holiday game dreidel. Everyone in class would be excited about trying this game they had never heard of, and we would all have a good time. It was a good feeling to have my mom bring a new experience to my peers and have them experience a little of my religion that means a lot to me.
Every year I look forward to the first night on Hanukkah where my mom makes her delicious latkes, which are small potato pancakes. My whole family comes over to celebrate and we all join together to light the first candle and say the blessings. We give each other presents and spend the night talking and laughing and spending time together. For me, I enjoy Hanukkah so much because it’s a way to bring family together and feel connected in a special way.
Hanukkah will always be a time families come together and celebrate, but it has a deeper meaning going all the way back to the excitement the Jewish people felt about the special miracle. Each year the reminder that hope and strength will always prevail brings out the holiday spirit for all which will be seen through the days December 7-15th this year.
