The Festival of Lights

Hanukkah Celebrates Religious Freedom
and the Rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem

Non-Jews may think of Hanukkah as a sacred Jewish holiday that occurs around the same time as Christianity’s Christmas season. It’s not.

“Hanukkah commemorates the fight for religious freedom,” said Rabbi Solomon Agin of Temple Shalom in Port Charlotte. So in that sense, said Todd Katz, the synagogue’s president, it’s more of a political holiday. And Judaism wants to share Hanukkah’s message with all faiths.

Hanukkah is celebrated on eight successive days, beginning on the 25th day of Kislev, the third month of the Jewish calendar, roughly corresponding to December in the Gregorian calendar. This year, it begins December 21 and ends December 29.

Symbolized by a menorah, a candelabrum with eight branches, Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights. It’s sometimes spelled Chanukah, pronounced with a hard “ch” sound.

In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication.” The festival commemorates the rededication of the holy Temple of Jerusalem to the service of God after a small band of Jews, led by Judah Maccabee, defeated the Hellenist Syrians more than 2,100 years ago, recapturing Jerusalem. Antiochus, the Greek king of Syria, had outlawed Jewish rituals and ordered Jews to worship Greek gods. He had dedicated the Temple to the worship of Zeus.

As the story goes, when Maccabee and his men retook the Temple, they found many treasures missing or broken, including a golden menorah. After restoring the Temple, the Jews held a dedication ceremony. Wishing to light the menorah, they searched for oil but could only find a small container with enough to last for a day. Miraculously, the oil lasted eight days. That bought time for them to obtain new oil to keep the menorah lit. Today, Jews celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting candles in a menorah, one the first night, two the second and so on until all eight are lit.

In contrast to the sacred Jewish observances of Passover Seder and Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah is traditionally celebrated in a very public way. Because it is a symbol of religious freedom, Agin said, its message is to be shared openly and widely. Consequently, Jews place menorahs in a window or other visible location in their homes to call attention to the “Hanukkah miracle.”

Hanukkah customs include eating foods fried in oil, such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (deep-fried jelly doughnuts), playing a gambling game with a dreidel and giving gifts of gelt (money) to children.

The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter inscribed on each side: Nun, Gimel, Hei and Shin. The letters signify the miracle of the oil in the Temple of Jerusalem. Each player is given a number of coins, candy pieces or other objects with which to bet on the outcome of the spin. The players place their bets in the “kupah,” or kitty. Each player spins the dreidel, which will fall on one of the letters. Nun means no win/no lose, Gimel means win the kupah, Hei takes half the kupah and Shin means you lose what you anted. Lose all your stake and you’re out. The game ends when one player has won all the money or candies, or it’s simply agreed to stop. According to various accounts of Jewish history, Antiochus’ soldiers executed Jews caught practicing their religion. If soldiers approached while Jews were gathered to study the Torah, the scriptures were quickly hidden and a game of dreidel would ensue.

Agin said that playing dreidel during Hanukkah is one of the few times Jews are allowed to gamble. Some synagogues even hold casino-like games during the holiday, he said. Not Temple Shalom, however. (To play the game online, visit joi.org/dreidel.)

It’s customary to give gifts of gelt to children throughout Hanukkah, with the purpose of teaching them to give some of it to charity. However, a disapproving Agin says many parents, including those in his own congregation, have resorted to giving toys and other presents to their children throughout the holidays, perhaps feeling the need to compete with Christmas gift-giving.

“Madison Avenue has taken this obscure holiday and made an enormous holiday out of it,” he said. “It has become an enormous gift-giving occasion, like Christmas. But it’s not gift-giving time. [Hanukkah is] about our faith.

“I was once rabbi at a New Jersey synagogue. During an interfaith event for the children, members of my congregation asked if I would stand next to Santa Claus and hand out Hanukkah gifts while Santa handed out Christmas presents. I said I can’t do that.”

Hanukkah is also a time for songs and blessings. One of the more popular Hanukkah songs is the Ma’oz Tzur, translated in English as “Rock of Ages.” According to the Jewish Outreach Institute in New York City, the song was composed in Europe in the 12th Century by a man named Mordecai. A loose translation of the first stanza reads:

Rock of Ages, let our song praise Your saving power.
You amid the raging throng were our sheltering tower.
Furious they assailed us, but Your help availed us.
And Your word broke their sword when our own strength failed us.

Local Synagogues and their Hanukkah Celebrations

Temple Shalom is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism. The congregation of 140 families is led by Rabbi Solomon Agin with Todd Katz as president.

In celebration of Hanukkah, Temple Shalom plans to build a large menorah on its front lawn and hold nightly candle-lighting ceremonies. Agin said the public is invited to attend each night’s ceremony as well as a dinner and celebration following the lighting of the first candle on December 21.

Temple Shalom is located at 23190 Utica Ave. in Port Charlotte. For information, visit the synagogue’s website at www.templeshalom.planitjewish.com or call (941) 625-2116.

Temple Beth El in Punta Gorda is affiliated with the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation. High holiday services are led by Boris Dolin, rabbinical extern, while other services are memberled. The congregation has 40 members, and its president is Carole Polansky.

In celebration of Hanukkah, Temple Beth El will hold a Hanukkah dinner and other events at members’ homes.

Services are held at the Charlotte Park Civic Association Building, 420 Pompano Terrace in Punta Gorda. For information, call (941) 637-9434.

Chabad of Charlotte County is affiliated with the Chabad movement. Membership varies.

In celebration of Hanukkah, Chabad of Charlotte County plans to erect a nine-foot menorah at the Town Center Mall in Port Charlotte, its fourth year doing so. Besides a brief nightly lighting ceremony, Jacobson said, a celebration featuring Hanukkah foods is planned.

Services are held at the home of Rabbi Simon Jacobson, 415 Durrance St. in Punta Gorda. For information, visit the Chabad website, www.chabadofcharlottecounty.com, or call Rabbi Jacobson at (941) 833-3381.

Temple Beth El of North Port is affiliated with the United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism and has more than 70 members. Their Cantor is Lyle Rockler, and their President is Albert Sawdii.

In celebration of Hanukkah, the congregation is planning a public Hanukkah party.

The temple is located at 3840 South Biscayne Drive in North Port. For information, visit www.templebethel-np.org or call (941) 423-0300.