Jewish student groups celebrate Hanukkah at University of Minnesota
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A community Hanukkah celebration was held Sunday night at the University of Minnesota to light the menorah in recognition of the fourth day of the holiday. The event was put together by Jewish student groups, Minnesota Hillel and Chabad of the University of Minnesota.
Hanukkah celebrations have continued against the backdrop of tensions in the state ignited by the Israel-Hamas war. The campus area has been a “hotbed for talking” about the war, so it was crucial to have this gathering in support of the two biggest Jewish student groups on campus, said Abby Kirshbaum, Hillel assistant director.
The event featured singing of traditional songs, musicians, student and leadership speeches, eating customary sufganiyah (jelly donuts), and the main event, lighting the menorah.
The lighting of the menorah is a significant symbol and carries high sentiment for the Jewish community, as it represents the story of the siege and reclaim of an ancient Jerusalem temple by the Jews from Syrian Greeks in the second century. When the Jewish people reclaimed the temple, it is said they found only a single jug of oil left to light the menorah.
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“This one jug of oil, which was only supposed to last one day, miraculously lasted for eight; and that is why the Jewish people celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah for eight days” said Rabbi Yitzi Steiner.
Steiner was asked to light the menorah in front of Northrop on the University of Minnesota campus, and for him “the idea of spreading light in a very public area, the fact that we can walk on a public campus and celebrate openly in front of everyone means so much to me, and it means so much to the Jewish community.”
Kirshbaum agreed for herself and the students she helps represent that “being able to do this together and light the menorah as Jews publicly is a way for us to gain confidence and know that we are here for each other, we continue to stand up for what we believe is right.”
The symbol of the menorah and the candle lighting cannot be overstated during this time, as “there is something very powerful about light, especially a candle,” said Steiner. “If I light your candle, that does not take anything away from myself, so I go on to light another, and another, and another, and that is really what Hanukkah represents: of sharing warmth, of sharing light, of sharing love.”
Hanukkah’s celebration of light ends on Friday and the Jewish community hopes to end out the holiday positively, as Steiner said, “we don’t combat darkness or evil with a broom or a gun, we combat it with lighting a candle.”
