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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 1999)
Hanukkah fosters togetherness ■ The Festival of Lights is not a ‘Jewish Christmas’ as some would believe By Yael Menahein Oregon Daily Emerald ‘Tis the season. While many Americans cele brate Christmas as a symbol of the birth of Christ, or for gift giving, Jewish-Americans celebrate Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. Over the last few years, Hanukkah has been recognized and commercialized in American society. Many people who cele brate Christmas don’t know what the celebration of Hanukkah stands for, and some assume that it’s a holiday that was designed to compete with Christmas. Com pete may be too strong of a word, but Hanukkah is best understood by non-Jewish people as a way for Jewish children to feel like they are part of the holiday. Nothing is more inaccurate than to refer to Hanukkah as the “Jewish Christmas,” as Jessica Elkan, student president of Hillel, a campus Jewish religious organi zation, has heard it described. Jewish people didn’t choose to have Hanukkah in December, News brief Residence hail fire alert proclaimed false alarm A fire scare in the Bean Com plex Saturday night caused the evacuation of the complex and put the Eugene Fire Department on alert for more than an hour. rather, the holiday begins as it is marked on the Jewish calendar, not the Christian one. The fact that Hanukkah falls during December is coincidental. Hanukkah is a celebration the Jewish people who defended the Old Temple in Jerusalem from the Greeks by finding a small contain er that had a drop of oil in it. That single drop lit candles for eight straight days, and helped them win the battle. As it is understood by many Jewish people, the holiday is a his * t o r i c a 1 *" a a a a a Reporter’s NOTEBOOK commemo ration that holds some religious value, but it rarely in volves any great gift giving. The most a child can expect on Hanukkah is a small sum of mon ey, a significant gift, or chocolate in the shape of gold coins, from relatives or family friends. Rarely is it the case that chil dren should expect to receive eight gifts for every day that Hanukkah lasts. That is a recent invention by parents who feel pressured to buy into the gift-giv ing spirit of the holidays. Office of Public Safety Sgt. Marte Martinez said a student liv ing in Thornton called OPS after smelling smoke behind an electri cal outlet. The student was proba bly smelling smoke seeping out of cracks in Wilcox Hall’s fireplace chimney, Martinez said. David Coleman, district chief for Eugene Fire and EMS, said “The presents are not the impor tant thing, and some parents refuse to give presents for Hanukkah, [but] a lot of parents feel pressure to buy gifts,” Elkan said. This pressure can be under stood because we live in a culture that thrives on the holiday econo my that pushes people to spend, spend, spend. Many parents don’t want to make their children feel like outsiders. They attend public schools, and bring home Christ mas decorations rather than Hanukkah ones. They don’t learn about the meaning of the holiday outside of their home or temple, if they attend one. Elkan thinks that since we live in a society that strives to be politi cally correct and recognizes differ ent religions, Hanukkah has re ceived more recognition. Now the first day of Hanukkah is reported on in the news, or writ ten about in the newspapers. Christmas is a time that brings families together, as is Hanukkah. People interpret the holidays as it fits their lives. Some attend church, others go to temple, while others get caught up in the gift-giv ing spirit. Whatever you celebrate, enjoy the holidays and celebrate them as you wish. eight units responded just before 6 p.m. to Bean and believed there was a small electrical fire of un known cause. He added that it was contained behind an outlet in a student’s room in Thornton Hall. But after a full investigation, OPS reported that a fire burning in the Wilcox Hall fireplace may have been the cause of the scare. ffey, We’re Cslabrstlng So Wear Sour Good jeans. 007688 (You know the Gateway Kail? We’re right In the parking lot.) 3018 Gateway Street Hone grown In Oregon — also In Salem, Kedford and Gresham. r PEAK EXPERIENCE PRODUCTIONS PROUDLY PRESENTS ? % millennium celebration with the STRING CHEESE INCIDENT ZEN TRICKSTERS CALOBO KELLER MILLIONS & MANS SPECIAL SURPRISES DECEMBER 30™ & ilST 1999 Multiple stages, amazing visuals, professional childcare, family entertainment, living theater, unique vending, kind food and a spectacular, audience participatory Midnight Ritual WHERE TO dOlN US The Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon FOR MORE INFORMATION Tickets available at Fastixx at 503-224-8499 and Think Good Thoughts at 503-235-0439 or check out www.stringcheeseincident.com