I remember during the last years of my teaching at Monmouth University that I inherited a couple of jobs.  One was to reinvigorate the Judaic Studies Program that was not doing well and the other was to try to introduce a balance of observance of religious symbols in a non-parochial institution. Years before a faculty advisor and some students decided that the annual Christmas tree and other holiday symbols in winter needed a large “Hannukiah”, or nine branched candelabra erected on the campus in front of the student center. The only Jewish student’s social organization on campus, Hillel, gathered donations of wood, paint and bulbs to create a five-foot high and six-foot wide nine branched candelabra to celebrate Hannukah.   A significant minority of Jewish students attended the school but very few desired publicity, kept a low profile and once built, the organizers lost interest since students regularly come and go.

The Judaic Studies program was sparsely attended and there was no great interest in the Shore communities to participate in programs on campus.  This limped along as a program of courses with Jewish history and religious content and some speakers but there was never enough interest or impetus to grow and attract more participants and consumers.  The Hillel group became active enough at one point to build the Hannukiah and set it up on campus with electric lights but manually light a candle each night of Hannukah.  Someone had to be responsible to find where the candelabra was stored, dust it off and set it up and connect it to a socket and get out there to twist another bulb on each night until all nine were lighted.  Eight lights represent the eight days that a single “cruse” of oil lasted until a new supply was found. The Maccabee brothers ejected the Syrians from the Temple in Jerusalem and cleaned it up. They restored Jewish control of the Temple and the region. The ninth candle in the Hannukiah is the “shamus” or the candle that is lighted first and then lights all the rest.  I got that job when I became the person responsible for Judaic Studies at Monmouth University. Personally, I did not like the project and I do not think Hannukah needs to compete with Christmas.

Now, my position in all of this is that such public displays of religious symbols need not have the injection of a Jewish one for the purpose to balance the overwhelming involvement in this commercial holiday of Christmas. Some Jews feel their minority status will be evened out by the erection of a Hannukiah and believe it is a religious event. The “Menorah” is THE symbol of Judaism.  Jews gave the world the seven-day week, the Sabbath of rest and the message the lights shed of hope and cheer. This is the core of religious belief in the single God of the Creation story. This is the message the Jews gave to the world. Candle lighting on Sabbath is traditionally set as two candles each Friday evening. Hannukah and the Hannukiah are for children and we know why this is so.