This Monday, December 10th the annual Jewish festival of Hanukkah was concluded. Hanukkah is the Jewish eight-day wintertime holiday celebrated with nightly menorah lighting, special prayers, and fried food like latkes. The menorah is the 9-branched sacred candelabrum used for the festival of Hanukkah.

When Ethan Gail, a Jewish student at Wilsonville High School, was asked a few questions regarding Hanukkah he said that Hanukkah is 8-day long Jewish festival, but it is not of extreme importance in the religion. However, the menorah is very significant because it stays lit for eight days with only one day worth of oil. In addition, he went on to say that Hanukkah is different than Christmas because  it is eight days long, and the purpose of the holiday is different than Christmas. Hanukkah is also exclusively limited to the Jewish community while Christmas is celebrated by almost everyone, and it contains a commercial aspect as well.

When asked about the fact that Holiday Break will not include Hanukkah at all, Gail said that it angers him a lot because despite Hanukkah being eight days long, not even one of the days is during Holiday Break. However, he said that he understands why the Holiday Break is when it is, and having school does not take away the memories or significance of the holiday.