Culture Snapshot: Happy Hanukkah!

Stockton is the most diverse city in America, and one of our goals is to celebrate and educate ourselves about that diversity. This post is part of an ongoing series about integrating an awareness and appreciation of other cultures into our students' lives.

What is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah, or Chanukah, commemorates Jewish survival and the miracle of of light. The BIG story is about the Maccabees retaking Jerusalem from the Greeks, cleaning out the temple, and rekindling the menorah, where the lights burned for eight days instead of one, allowing the Jews enough time to make more of the special oil.

Hanukkah is one of my favorite holidays. Although it isn't a major holiday, it features two of my favorite foods: cheese and homemade doughnuts. As a child, some of my favorite stories were Hanukkah stories, and the variety of ways that people celebrated Hanukkah taught me a lot about how different families have different traditions. It is also one of the few Jewish holidays where folks are encouraged to share their celebration with their community, so it is a great time for those outside of the Jewish community to actively learn about the culture.

How do we learn about it?

Big Effort Activity: Attend a menorah lighting! Many cities will host the lighting of an oversized menorah on at least one night, and there are often snacks for everyone and activities for kids. Menorah lightings are usually outside, so be sure to dress warm, and keep in mind there will be a short prayer when the menorah is lit, so please be respectful!

Small Effort Activity: Read a story! You can go for a more serious traditional story like the story of Yehudit (which features both a wheel of cheese and some violence, so consider yourself warned!) or modern fiction stories that feature holiday festivities.

For younger readers, check out Arielle and the Hanukkah Surprise, which was probably my first and favorite Hanukkah story as a child. New copies of this story are hard to come by, so you may have to get it second hand! It is by Devra Speregen and Shirley Newberger.

For older readers (or for a read-aloud chapter book), I recommend Penina Levine is a Potato Pancake by Rebecca O'Connell. Filled with giggles and real-life winter break problems, this story talks about exploring traditions and life changes together and is sure to warm everyone's heart!

Culture Snapshots are written by staff, students, or friends of 1kNaCl. Want to write about the history of your favorite holiday or share a holiday tradition? Email us at info@1knacl.com and let us know!