JSU Hosts Annual Hanukkah Party

JSU Hosts Annual Hanukkah Party

     On Friday December 3, the 6th night of Hanukkah the Jewish Student Union held our annual Hanukkah party. Hanukkah is known as the festival of light and commemorates the rededication of the second temple of Jerusalem by the lighting of the candles. It is an 8 day celebration that takes place around winter, it is celebrated with the nightly lighting of the menorah, along with special prayers, fried foods, hanukkah gelt, and small gifts. The story of Hanukkah begins with the victory of the Maccabees over the larger and more powerful Syrian army. The Maccabees defeated King Antiochus IV and celebrated a miracle that happened during that time, where just one days supply of oil allowed the menorah, in the second temple, to burn for 8 days. At our Hanukkah party we played with dreidels, which are tops with Hebrew letters on the side that represent: ness, gadol, haya, and sham, which translates to a great miracle happened there. This game is played with dreidels and Hanukkah gelt which are chocolate coins. We played a Hanukkah themed Kahoot teaching the importance of the holiday, and also listened to Hanukkah themed music for some added fun. Having a Jewish Student Union at Winchester Thurston school allows us to show the holidays of Judaism as something to celebrate, and gives other students the opportunity to learn about a culture that is different from their own. Showing the other students, jewish or not, that they have a place to truly be themselves.