The evolution of Hanukah
Every minority group in a free society is faced with a paradox: precisely because the society is open and accepting of its uniqueness, its uniqueness can easily give way to complete assimilation into the dominant culture.
In the United States today, where Jews enjoy full religious freedom, Jews grapple daily with the problem of how to maintain their unique culture while being fully acculturated into the broader, American society. Wanting to fit in, to be part of rather than apart from the host culture, for American Jews, wrestling with this dilemma is particularly pronounced at this time of year when Hanukah, which has come to include gift giving, comes so close to Christmas.
Historically, it was Purim, not Hanukah, on which gifts were traditionally exchanged, and while the Hanukah legend of a single day's supply of oil keeping the eternal lamp in the Temple lit for eight days, Hanukah is actually eight days long because of Succot. It was that holiday that was being celebrated during the siege that led to the oil shortage. Yet these two elements of American Jews' Hanukah celebrations - gift giving and the oil miracle - are emphasized in our celebration of Hanukah today.
Photo by Susan Safford
Alan Ganapol, a vice president of the Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center (MVHC), says, "When the kids were young, we didn't want Hanukah to be just the Jewish Christmas, we wanted somehow to make it ours. So yes, we gave gifts, but we also lit a Moroccan replica Hanukiah [menorah], made latkes [potato pancakes], and also had sufganyiot [jelly donuts]. Eating foods fried in oil is traditional in both eastern and western celebrations of Hanukah, incorporating Sephardic, Jewish traditions into our celebration."
In the second century BCE (from when Hanukah is dated), Israel, then Judah, was under Greek rule. Jewish people there had a choice: assimilate or die. Some chose assimilation. Some chose to appear to assimilate but continued their Jewish observance in secret and at great peril. Others chose to rebel.
This could be the story of Jews in the Spanish Inquisition or in Germany in the 1930s, but it could also be the story of countless other cultures who, when conquered and faced with the extinction of their own culture, were faced with the same choices: the Serbs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire; the Mayans in Columbian Central America; the American Indian tribes after the European invasion; and the South Indians with the arrival of the Aryans.
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
1 medium yellow onion
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup matzoh meal or flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable or canola oil for frying
Grate potatoes and onions together, by hand or in a food processor fitted with the grating blade. Let drain half an hour.
Mix in egg, matzoh meal or flour, salt and pepper.
Heat a film of oil in a large frying pan until very hot but not smoking. Drop spoonfuls of potato mixture into the pan to make pancakes about three inches in diameter and fry until golden brown, about five minutes. Flip and fry the second side. Keep warm on a metal pan in the oven.
Serve with applesauce or sour cream.
To some of the Jews under the Syrian-Greek rule of Antiochus, assimilation into Greek culture was unthinkable, because it denied their right to observe Judaism. They railed against those Jews who did assimilate. They rebelled against the Greeks. And they prevailed and were able to rebuild the Temple that had been desecrated by the Greeks.
Perhaps the recasting of holidays is also inevitable in open societies where minority groups are free to celebrate their traditions.
Author and MVHC member Tony Horwitz suggests, "Perhaps today we should think of Hanukah as a celebration of oil conservation." His family will be exchanging gifts this year - "It's a great holiday for kids"- lighting the menorah and making latkes, but Mr. Horwitz doesn't see Hanukah as the celebration of freedom that Passover represents.
Yet another tradition of Hanukah is putting the lit menorah in the window for all to see. The placement in the window is about the meaning of freedom to express one's religion without fear of retribution, an act that would have had dire consequences if attempted during the Holocaust.
My own family never put the menorah in the window because even living in America, we remained affected with the trauma of the genocide. I didn't even know about that tradition until Matt, my non-Jewish husband told me about it a few years ago. Now, in our family, we will place three menorahs in three windows: one for me, one for Matt, and one just because we can.
Photo by Danielle Zerbonne
On Friday, Dec. 26, at 5:30 pm, a Hanukah service and candle lighting ceremony will be held at the Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center. Latkes will be served. Bring salads and vegetables. Contributions of non-perishables for the Food Pantry will be collected. Call 508-693-0745 for information.
Lori Shaller is the Assistant Director for Program and Development at Rabbis for Human Rights, North America.
