Hanukkah has always been one of my favourite holidays.
Not because of the gifts that are received or the traditional greasy food that’s eaten. To be honest, I don’t particularly care for jelly donuts and I’m very picky about which latkes I will try.
My favourite part of the holiday has always been lighting the hanukkiya, which is a slightly different version of a menorah. A hanukkiya has eight branches, with one candle being added and lit every day of the holiday.
I have fond memories from my childhood of coming from school and lighting the hanukkiya with my family for eight straight days. Sometimes, if I was lucky, Hanukkah would even fall on winter vacation, giving the eight days an even better holiday feel. Gathered around the dinner table, I always enjoyed singing the Hanukkah songs that spontaneously followed.
The purpose of lighting the hanukkiya isn’t simply for decoration during the “Festival of Lights.” It’s symbolic of the miracle that Jews experienced when the Maccabees and their Jewish supporters, who were few in number, defeated the large army of Greeks who had conquered Jerusalem and sought to assimilate Jews during the second century BC.
Following the victory, the Maccabees reclaimed the Jewish Holy Temple and restored the menorah that had been removed. In celebration, they lit the menorah with the little bit of oil they had. They only expected it to shine for one day. Instead, the menorah shined bright for eight consecutive days, which is a miracle that Jews are commanded to publicize.
As a Jew, I have always felt obliged to do just that. Being a minority, I occasionally experienced feelings of exclusion during the holiday season as I grew up.
Sure, it’s no longer politically correct for people to say “Merry Christmas” to one another; however, this was never as bothersome as other Christmas traditions that I felt were forced upon me. For instance, I have never been able to wrap my head around the fact that popular radio stations will begin playing Christmas music in the middle of November, seemingly non-stop until Boxing Day.
This is not to say that Christmas shouldn’t be celebrated publicly. However, I believe that if the Jewish population wants to achieve a true representation of our own holiday, it’s our responsibility to let the world know what we’re celebrating and why.
This can be achieved in many different ways — one of which includes the custom of displaying the hanukkiya close to a window, so that all those who pass by will see it.
A modern example of people spreading the essence of the miracle took place last year, when an a cappella group called “The Maccabeats” released a song on Youtube titled “Candlelight,” based off of Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite.”
The video has reached over six million views and the group has been featured on CNN, CBS, and the Wall Street Journal, among other media.
As Jews, we must continue to celebrate Hanukkah, be it through the style of the Maccabeats, or even through simple traditions such as eating latkes, singing songs or spinning dreidels.
It’s these customs that make up our heritage and culture, which has been threatened so many times throughout history. Just like in the story of Hanukkah itself.
