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Happy Holidays 2006

Family enjoys lights, gifts and togetherness of Hanukkah

By JEAN JOHNSON
Published December 16, 2006

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Keri Wiginton] Jessica Finley, 7, left, Brittany, 10, and their parents, Rhonda and Steve Finley, celebrate Hanukkah in their Brooksville home.

BROOKSVILLE - In this season of Santa Claus and the Christ child, another important religious holiday began at sundown Friday - the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah.

The Finley family - Steve, Rhonda, Brittany and Jessica - who moved to Brooksville from Rochester, N.Y., two years ago, has grown accustomed to and is comfortable with the coexistence of the two holidays.

Steve Finley converted from Catholicism to Judaism in 1994 "because I wanted to join Rhonda." He said his parents have accepted the conversion.

"They've always been okay with my Judaism. They are still Catholic and do Christmas. They send us Hanukkah gifts, and we send them Christmas gifts."

The Finleys began their eight-day celebration of Hanukkah by attending worship services Friday night at Temple Beth David Jewish Center in Spring Hill. The holiday commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in the year 165 B.C., and Jewish families celebrate with many of the same types of traditions that Christians have for Christmas.

Describing a typical day during Hanukkah, Rhonda said, "I come home and light the candles and say prayers and have dinner with potato latkes, bagels and tuna fish. We'll then exchange gifts ... and basically enjoy each other's time."

She decorates the home with various menorahs and Jewish stars and a "May Your Hanukkah be Bright" banner on the wall. Although in the past she has had lights outside, she opted this year to hang a Hanukkah sign.

"I decorate as much as I can and have lots of Hanukkah balls, play Hanukkah songs and decorate the dining room table with a special runner," she said.

Her mother, who lives in Rochester, usually visits, trading Hanukkah books, making crafts and otherwise keeping busy. "To make it interesting, we get the cookie cutter out and make Hanukkah cookies," Rhonda said.

Attending public school has made Brittany and Jessica very aware of the Christmas holiday and how Christian children celebrate with a Christmas tree, a crche with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus, and other Christian symbols.

With Hanukkah decorations, menorahs and presents at home every day, Rhonda said, "they don't really miss Christmas and the tree. They enjoy the Jewish holidays and no longer miss things the other kids do. Brittany explains Hanukkah each year to her class and Jessica's class at school. Although the kids don't know what it's all about, they think it's more interesting than Christmas."

Ten-year-old Brittany is in the fifth grade at Pine Grove Elementary School. Describing Hanukkah, she said, "There are eight candles because a long time ago there were slaves and the king destroyed the temple, and so they had an army and they won and rebuilt the temple. And when they did that, they had to pour oil in the eternal lights, and they didn't have enough and said they had only enough for one day. But they had enough for eight days. A miracle happened there."

She said she learned all of that at religious school at the temple.

Asked what she enjoys about Hanukkah, Brittany said she likes saying special prayers when the candles are lit, playing dreidel games, getting chocolate money called geld and eating potato latkes because they are fried in oil, and oil plays a part in the Hanukkah story.

"We get presents for eight nights because the oil lasted eight days," Brittany said.

Jessica, 7 and a second-grader at Pine Grove, said she likes Hanukkah because "we put up a big dreidel" at religious school.

One thing the Finleys have discovered since moving to Hernando County is the difficulty of finding Hanukkah merchandise.

"Unfortunately," said Rhonda, "Hanukkah stuff is hard to find in the stores; maybe in Wal-Mart once in a while. ... Most of my stuff I brought with me from New York."

But that has not kept the family from its holiday traditions.

Steve said he enjoys Hanukkah because it's a time when families get together and exchange gifts.

Comparing it to other Jewish holidays, he pointed to the significance of Passover. "But Hanukkah," he said, "is the biggest celebration of the year."

[Last modified December 15, 2006, 20:54:08]