Monday, December 1, 1986
Emphasis on m inor
T T 1 1
nannuKan competes witn unristmas;
commercialism intrudes on celebration
By Mona Koppelman Browne
Special to the Daily Nebraskan
Editor's Note: This story orig
inally ran in the 1984 Daily
Nebraskan holiday supplement.
Five pairs of brown eyes anxiously
watch five plastic tops spin furiously
on a piano bench. Five small boys guess
which side their top dreidel will land
on. The 'winners' slap each ot her on the
back.
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"Dreidels are OK, but I can hardly
wait 'till next Hannukah," one boy
said. I'm going to get a Snow Speeder."
Hannukah is a Jewish holiday which
bears little resemblance to Christmas,
but the difference between the two is
often misunderstood. The issue is
further clouded by what some Jews
view as the encroachment of Christmas
commercialism on Hannukah.
Hannukah commemorates the suc
cessful Jewish revolt against the
Seleucid Greeks and their king, Antio
chus, in 165 B.C.
"Antiochus tried to Hellenize the
Jews," said Rabbi Kenneth White of the
South Street Temple, 20th and South
streets. "People who studied Torah or
women who circumcised their children
were put to death. The Temple in
Jerusalem was defiled."
Jews kindle lights for eight days in
December. Other traditions include
dreidels, special songs, prayers, food
and presents given out each night.
"The idea of presents started out in
a minor way," White said. "Then, as
Christmas became a major holiday,
presents started playing a bigger part."
White said people tend to equate
Christmas and Hannukah because gift-
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giving is involved in both, but he
emphasized that the similarity ends
there.
"Christmas celebrates the birth of
God, or part of God," he said. "Han
nukah celebrates the first rebellion of
religious freedom in recorded history."
Hannukah is widely regarded as one
of the more minor holidays in the
Jewish year. White said it has seen a
"major" emergence come about in pro
portion to Christmas.
"There is really no philosophical
reason to make it (Hannukah) a major
holiday," White said. "Jews don't
normally celebrate military victories.
That's why we focus more on the
miracle of the lights."
Harry Allen, UNL director of instruc
tional research and planning, said he
thinks there is more emphasis on
Hannukah among families with child
ren. "I think parents want to make Jewish
kids feel they have something," said
Allen, a member of the Tifereth Israel
Synagogue, 3219 Sheridan. "It started
in the late 1950s and 1960s, with mass
media commercialization."
Sheldon Schuster, UNL associate
chemistry professor, said he thinks
Hannukah tries to compete with Christ
mas. Schuster, a member of the South
Street Temple, said it was important to
keep the perspective that Hannukah
"really isn't that big of a deal."
"The commercial effect is too bad,"
he said, "but it's probably true that if
Jews were in the majority, there would
be an incredible commercialization of
Hannukah."
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"My daughter knew she wanted a
Barbie doll," he said. "Any old Barbie
doll wouldn't do, it had to be a certain
kind. . .obviously a result of Christmas
advertisements."
Gerald Grant, Lincoln certified public
accountant, said individuals in a society
take on the aspects of the environment
around them.
000000000
Rabbi Ian Jacknis of the Tifereth
Temple, said there is one "sort of
positive effect" of Christmas com
mercialism on Hannukah. "It does
encourage the observance of the hol
iday," Jacknis said. "Jews have to make
Hannukah seem really great. It's no
one's fault; it's not all bad. It just puts
more emphasis on a traditionally minor
holiday.
"As a rabbi, I kind of wish the whole
congregation would join in this much
the rest of the year. Now, sometimes I
feel that they come to the synagogue
for Hannukah because their kids are
feeling so bad about not having a
Christmas," he said.
"Thank God we have a holiday in
December," said Jacknis, with a twinkle
in his eye. "But really, even if gifts
aren't intrinsic to Hannukah, I don't
mind. We have to make special times to
give gifts, or we might overlook people
we really appreciate,"
Allen, an 18-year resident of Lincoln,
said Christmas has become such a
major social event that Jews have tried
to construct a holiday to be "psycho
logically competitive to Christmas."
"Christmas is an overpoweringly
beautiful time," he said. "The decora
tions are nice, the music is wonderful. I
enjoy the lights . . . but it's not my
holiday."
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