Hanukkah is a time of light, faith

While this season is filled with traditions, some of the richest cultures that weave America’s tapestry get overlooked during this time of year.

Some children are helping their families pick out the perfect Christmas tree, while others are gathered together to light the menorah.

Jason, who recently moved to Sandpoint, said he has always enjoyed the Jewish traditions his family celebrates during Hanukkah. Due to the current political climate and recent anti-semitic comments made at Sandpoint City Council meetings, the Daily Bee has chosen not to use Jason’s last name for his safety, per his request.

This year, Hanukkah is remembered from Dec. 7-15, but those dates vary each year. The eight-day celebration, Jason said, is a remembrance of a small jar of oil lasting eight days when it only should have lasted one.

The story comes from the time of King Antiochus, who was determined to suppress the Jewish religion.

“For Jews at the time to practice their rituals, they had to have the menorah in the temple be lit with a sealed, untampered jar of olive oil,” Jason said. “King Antiochus ransacked the temple and destroyed every jar so they could not fulfill their practices.”

However, the Jewish rebellion at the time decided to fight back and managed to find one small jar of oil that should have only lasted a day at most.

“The miracle that happened was that single jar lasted eight days, which allotted them enough time to make more jars of oil,” Jason said. “Like many Jewish holidays, this one is about fighting for Jewish rights, remembering this miraculous moment of our history, fighting oppression and surviving on.”

Observing Hanukkah is a very meaningful part of how Jason said he celebrates his heritage. As a kid, he and his family still went to work and school during the day, then came together in the evenings to say prayers and light a candle on each day of the holiday. While Jason’s family rarely played games or made Jewish foods for Hanukkah, they did get each other gifts, which not all Jewish families do.

However, as Jason grew up, he said he cared more about the quality time spent with his family and less about the gifts or games.

“As I got older, it became more about remembering the story,” he said. “My family took the route of spending time together [more] than the typical traditions a lot of Jews do. For me personally, it was always about clearing off the window sill and setting up our menorahs and lighting the candles. I personally loved the prayers and lighting with my family.”

Luckily, Jason said he never struggled with being made fun of for not celebrating more “mainstream” holidays like Christmas. Most of the time, he said he was asked by his friends if he got eight days of gifts rather than one because of the length of the Jewish holiday.

“I never really had any resentment about not celebrating the major Christian holidays or anything,” he said. “At the end of the day, I was Jewish and it wasn't my holiday.”

Despite not celebrating Christmas, Jason said many Jewish people still enjoy the holiday festivities it brings. As a kid, his family loved driving around town looking at Christmas lights and the decorations set up for the holiday season. The energy the holiday brings, he said, was very enjoyable for him growing up.

“There’s also some fun Jewish adaptations on Christmas stuff, like a Hanukkah bush versus a Christmas tree or elf on a shelf versus mensch on a bench,” he said.

Even though Jason lives far away from his family now, he still takes the time to celebrate this important Jewish holiday, even if it doesn’t look exactly the same as when he was young. With his busy schedule and having to celebrate the holiday alone, Jason said he usually just lights candles each day. Sometimes, he will go to a nearby synagogue if they are hosting any events for the holiday, but oftentimes his week is spent quietly lighting candles by himself.

Many of Jason's traditions from being raised in a modern Orthodox Jewish family focus on the menorah lighting, but there are many other ways in which Jewish families observe the holiday.

“There are multiple sects to the religion, from ultra-Orthodox all the way to Reform Judaism and more,” he said. “Each family's own tradition will do things differently … That's the beauty of Judaism — it's less of a religion and more of a way of living; that's how I was raised to look at it.”