Chanukkah, the fesitval of
using oil responsibly

December 8, 2007

This Dutch snackbar certification sign says, ‘Heq yes, we fry responsibly. We use liquid fryer fat and we follow the rules of responsible frying.’

This year I decided to celebrate Chanukkah. Probably it’s because the past 4 months during the renovation of my home I’ve been so homesick that the story of my ancestors rededicating a sacred place resonates strongly with me. Tuesday afternoon I adhoc’d together a beautiful menorah and have been lighting candles every night. My goal is to move back home before the end of Chanukkah next Tuesday, and failing that, I’ve decided to continue celebrating Chanukah until I can move back into my home. Chanukkah in July.

Sound crazy? There’s historical precedence for all of this, although not exactly in this form. I hope it doesn’t take this form with me.

Without going into a shred of detail, the story of Chanukkah involves a one-day batch of sacred oil that miraculously stretched itself for eight days. During the eight days of Chanukkah, we light candles to remember the miracles, deliverance, and mighty deeds that both our ancestors and that we ourselves have known.

On the food front, traditional Chanukkah fare is fried in oil, liberal amounts of one hella lotta oil. Because there was this miracle with the oil, right? Now I don’t know why it took me so long to question the logic of this, but why do we celebrate this miracle of oil conservation by massively increasing oil consumption? Shouldn’t we be eating the opposite of oily foods? Shouldn’t Chanukkah be an oil fast, a holiday of raw and steamed vegetables and bike riding? Peak Oil for Jews?

• Wikipedia: Chanukkah environment reminder
  Most recently, some Jews in North America have taken up environmental concerns in relation to Chanukkah’s “miracle of the oil”, emphasizing reflection on energy conservation and energy independence. An example of this is the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life’s renewable energy campaign.

  Sephardic Chanukkah foods

  Separdic Chanukkah menus

  Some Epicurious Chanukkah menus - anyway you toss it, it’s still fried

  Chanukkah for nerds

• Various menorot used for Hanukkah (Hanukiot). Taken from the 1901-1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, now in the public domain. The locations of the hanukiot given below reflect their locations as of the publication of the Jewish Encyclopedia and not their present locations.
  1. Bronze, French, attributed to 12th cent. (in the Musée de Cluny, Paris).
  2. Yellow copper, modern (in the synagogue at Pogrebishche, Russia).
  3. Silver (?), medieval (in the possession of Dr. Albert Figdor, Vienna).
  4. Yellow copper, modern (in the synagogue at Padua, Italy).
  5. Silver and bronze, 17th cent. (in the possession of Jacob H. Schiff. New York).
  6. Silver, late 19th century (from the collection of the late Rabbi Benjamin Szold, Baltimore).
  7. Bronze, Italian, 15th cent. (in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London).
  8. Silver, English (?), 16th cent. (in the possession of E. A. Franklin, London).
  9. Silver, Nuremberg, 17th cent. (in the possession of N. S. Joseph, London).
  10. Silver, modern (in the possession of Maurice Herrmann, New York).

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1 Comment »

1. Weird. Christmas without our personal christmas-jew. Will miss you

   Comment by Kristi — December 15, 2007 @ 15:56