By Piper Rutherford | Staff Writer
While many know Hanukkah for the menorah and the miracle of one day’s worth of oil burning for eight days and eight nights, there are several common misconceptions of the holiday outside the Jewish community.
Dr. David Jortner, professor of theater arts and member of Baylor’s Jewish Faculty and Staff Association, said although many outside of the Jewish faith place great emphasis on the celebration of Hanukkah, it is a minor holiday on the Jewish calendar.
“While most people know that Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the Greek-Syrians in retaking Jerusalem, many do know that it is not considered a major holiday in the Jewish faith,” Jortner said. “It is not a ‘Jewish Christmas,’ although people often compare them to one another since they are close together on the calendar.”
Similarly, Dr. Jeff Levin, professor of medical humanities, said Hanukkah is important but does not carry the same weight as other Jewish holidays.
“While Christians celebrate the two major holidays of Christmas and Easter, the Jewish community views Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, in the same light,” Levin said.
Levin said another common misconception is that even if someone is ethnically Jewish, they may not be religiously Jewish.
“The word ‘Jewish’ refers to a people — meaning there are Jews and Gentiles in which people are Jewish by heritage — while the word ‘Christian’ refers to a religious person of the faith of Christianity,” Levin said.
Levin said he deeply cherishes the fond memories he has of celebrating Hanukkah as a child when he was growing up on the South Side of Chicago during the 1960s.
“I remember coming home from school and lighting the candles on the menorah with my grandmother, who taught me how to say the berakah — meaning the blessings and prayers in Hebrew — before opening a gift each night, like a whistle, marbles or chewing gum,” Levin said. “These memories make the holiday precious to me.”
Meanwhile, Jortner said eating food fried in oil, playing dreidel and receiving presents are what he enjoyed most about the holiday when he was growing up — and they are traditions he continues to share with his own children.
“We would eat lots of latkes, which are essentially potato pancakes, which I would douse with hot sauce since I am from the South,” Jortner said. “Or we would eat sufganiyots, which are basically jelly-filled donuts and are delicious — all while playing the gambling game dreidel.”
Outside of these traditions, Jortner said he wants the Baylor community to recognize there is a growing number of Jewish students and faculty members on campus. According to Baylor’s most recent trends report, there were 52 Jewish students in 2022.
“It’s important to remember that not all people celebrate Christmas and that the Jewish population at Baylor is only getting larger,” Jortner said.
