Winter is approaching, and with the shorter days and colder nights, many University of Wisconsin students look forward to the upcoming religious holidays.
Madison is home to students of a wide range of religious beliefs, and students are equally varied in their degrees of religious devotion.
Hanukkah begins at sunset today and concludes at sunset Wednesday, Dec. 15. Because the Jewish year follows a lunar-solar cycle, Hanukkah can occur anytime between November and January, although it usually takes place in December. According to a Madison Jewish Community Council release, this is why many people falsely consider Hanukkah a Jewish equivalent to Christmas, when in fact the holidays share only a winter timeframe.
Hanukkah means “dedication” in Hebrew and refers to the celebration of the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian armies in 165 B.C.E. and the ensuing liberation and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Kara Leibin, a UW junior, grew up in a Jewish family in Connecticut, where her father is on the board of the local temple. She said although Hanukkah does not overlap with winter break this year, she is not concerned the semester will wrap up and finals begin during the festival.
“It’s not a big deal to anyone, you just say some prayers at night — it’s not a time-consuming holiday,” she said.
Leibin added Passover never coincided with a break from school, which was more of a hassle as the holiday involves two large meals two nights in a row.
Leibin explained the major Jewish holidays are Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, followed by Passover in the fall.
“Hanukkah’s not even in the Torah, so by definition it’s not the biggest deal,” she said, noting the fact Hanukkah often coincides with Christmas has increased its popularity. “I consider Yom Kippur the most important because it’s when you cleanse yourself of all your sins and you can start the new year.”
Leibin says she has “always been into the [Jewish] culture and religion” and has taken several Jewish studies courses.
“I think my family is pretty observant,” Leibin said. “It’s more of a traditional, cultural thing.”
However, when it comes to other religions, Leibin wishes she knew more. She said most of her friends are Christian, although she has one close Hindu friend.
Vicky Georges, also a UW junior, grew up in a Greek Orthodox Christian household in Chicago. She said the Christian holidays of Christmas and Easter are especially important to her family.
“We don’t do midnight mass like the Catholics, but going to church on Christmas morning is what most [Greek Orthodox] people do. It’s very important; it’s the celebration of Jesus Christ being born,” she said, adding Jan. 1, 6 and 7 are also major holidays in the Greek Orthodox tradition.
Georges said she knows a good deal “more than the basic” ideas about her religion, as she was active in her church when she was younger.
Though Leibin does not share the same beliefs, Georges also said she considers herself well-informed of other religious traditions, as her Chicago schooling brought her in contact with Ramadan, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah in addition to the branches of Christianity.
While she considers Madison a tolerant campus, Georges does not believe it is religiously diverse.
“Probably just because compared to where I’m from, a majority of the people here are Lutheran or Protestant Christians. It’s under-representative of other religions,” she said. “People are very tolerant, but it’s not as diverse as I’ve grown up to know.”
Leibin disagreed, adding she thinks compared to many state schools, UW has a sizable Jewish population of roughly 20-25 percent. She added she thought UW was religiously tolerant, as well.
“I’ve never encountered anyone anti-Semitic here and I haven’t heard of any problems at Hillel,” she said.
