Hanukkah, in a time of virulent antisemitism
Hanukkah began at sundown today (Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022), with the first of eight candles being lit, but
the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights will be a much more somber observance this
year, given the frightening rise in antisemitism. That has led to so much
hatred being spread that the nation is now in danger of moving perilously closer than ever before to doing to the Jewish
people what the German people and the Nazis did to them in the 1930s.
With frank expressions of hatred toward Jews by the likes of rapper and
entertainer Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), NBA star Kyrie Irving and far
too many politicians --- combined with the abject failure of average Americans
to condemn the hatred --- Jews may one day soon have to think about where they
can flee to before the American Holocaust --- God forbid --- starts.
That is why the need to educate people about Jewish traditions and customs is
more important than ever. People need to stop fearing American Jews, who are
once again being persecuted and hated because they are not Christians.
I try to educate people in my annual Hanukkah column, in which my alter ego, Chanukah
Charlie, uses an open-book quiz to enlighten people about the holiday.
Please enjoy this and urge your fellow Americans to be kinder toward --- and to
stop hating on --- American Jews.
Here's the link to the column, which was published in the Dec.. 17, 2022,
edition of The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, MA: https://www.thesunchronicle.
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When the holiday falls annually is just one of many Hanukkah facts worth explaining, but this year the need to educate people is especially urgent due to the ongoing rise of antisemitism in the United States. I recently wrote two Sun Chronicle columns about the phenomenon, but the situation is getting even more worrisome.
Recently, Ye — the entertainer formerly known as Kanye West, who in October tweeted he wanted to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE” — dined with former President Donald Trump and virulent antisemite, Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. The dinner had been set up by antisemite Milo Yiannopoulos.
Ye then got himself kicked off Twitter, again, after tweeting a swastika inside a star of David. He also went on Alex Jones’ show and said something that should make veterans and students of World War II history shiver: “The Jewish media has made us feel like the Nazis and Hitler have never offered anything of value to the world.” He went even further, saying that he sees “good things about Hitler and that every human has something of value ... especially Hitler.”
The silence of far too many people toward the rise of antisemitism makes the need for education about Jewish holidays critical, which is why I’m again telling the story of Hanukkah through my alter ego, Chanukah Charlie. It’s my hope that Charlie’s open-book quiz, delivered with humor, will act as a deterrent to the hateful comments, which are pushing antisemitism dangerously close to the mainstream.
The quiz
1. Hanukkah is celebrated because:
A. Cooks can’t resist making potato pancakes called “latkes.”
B. Even with record inflation, you can never have too many reasons to shop.
C. A victory in 164 BCE (Before the Common Era, which is how Judaism refers to 164 BC) by rebels over a bigger army preserved Judaism from extinction.
Answer: C.
2. On Hanukkah, we light:
A. Hanukkah bushes.
B. A candelabra called a menorah.
C. Eight trees.
Answer: B.
3. Judah commanded the force that beat the Syrian Greeks. They were called:
A. The Temple Defenders.
B. Judah’s Army.
C. The Maccabees.
Answer: C.
4. How long did it take the Maccabees to win and re-enter the temple after the Syrian Greeks desecrated it?
A. More time than state lawmakers get to review bills sent to them at the last minute.
B. Three years.
C. Faster than a Yankees-Red Sox game.
Answer: B
5. The king of the Syrian Greeks was:
A. Belichick the All-Powerful.
B. Alexander the Great.
C. Antiochus IV.
Answer: C.
6. Antiochus forbid the Jewish people from:
A. Eating kosher food and praying.
B. Teaching and practicing Judaism and studying the Torah (the five books of Moses of the Old Testament).
C. All of the above.
Answer: C.
7. The miracle of Chanukah is that:
A. Latkes cost less than gold.
B. The temple was rededicated. (Chanukah means dedication.)
C. One day of oil kept the menorah lit eight days.
Answer: C.
8. How do you put the candles in the menorah? (A new candle, along with the “shamus” or server candle, is added nightly.)
A. Right to left, and light them left to right so the oldest candle is put in first and the newest is lit first.
B. Same as B, only in reverse.
C. Flip a chocolate coin called “gelt” to decide where to start.
Answer: A.
9. What’s a dreidel?
A. A toy not requiring an Xbox.
B. A spinning top with Hebrew letters.
C. A toy without batteries.
Answer: B.
10. The dreidel game is played:
A. Whenever you want.
B. On the floor or coffee table.
C. After dinner with your family.
Answer: Bet on all three.
11. In the game, the winner gets the pot (usually pennies or gelt) if the dreidel:
A. Lands on the Hebrew letter “shin.”
B. Lands on the Hebrew letter “hay.”
C. A. Lands on the Hebrew letter “gimel.”
Answer: C.
12. Which English spelling of the holiday is acceptable?
A. A. H—a—n—u—k—k—a—h.
B. C—h—a—n—u—k—a—h.
C. H—a—n—u—k—a—h.
Answer: All three, because the English is transliterated from the Hebrew. A is the most common spelling.
BONUS FACT 1 — True or false: Hanukkah falls on the same day every year.
Answer: True; it starts on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev.
BONUS FACT 2 — Hanukkah’s date changes yearly in relation to the common calendar because the Hebrew calendar is a lunar one that loses time. To compensate, a leap year with a 13th month in the mid-winter, called Adar II, is added every few years.
Larry Kessler is a retired Sun Chronicle local news editor and can be reached at larrythek65@gmail.com. He blogs at larrytheklineup.blogspot.com. He still likes latkes and dreidels.
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