Campus sites welcome Hanukkah celebrations

Hillel executive said Hanukkah has been more recognizable on campus.

By John Henry

Published Dec. 7, 2007

The Department of Residential Life and Hillel, MU's Jewish campus center, are doing their part this holiday season to make sure students can celebrate Hanukkah in a safe and hazardless setting.

This year, Hanukkah is earlier than it has been in the last five years, and it began while classes were still in session.

Due to fire concerns, Residential Life prohibits students from lighting candles in their own residence hall rooms.

But to ensure that students can celebrate Hanukkah in a traditional manner, the department is allowing students to observe the lighting of the Hanukiah, the Hanukkah candelabrum, under the supervision of residence hall staff in residence halls across campus.

Residential Academic Programs Associate Director Kristen Temple said MU is making special arrangements for Hanukkah because the university wants to make sure all students are given the opportunity to freely practice their religion and respective holidays.

"I think this is crucial for our students of the Jewish faith, because we want them to feel like this is their home, and so we want them to feel like they can observe and celebrate here as they would at their other home," Temple said.

All residence halls were provided Hanukiahs and candles by Hillel, but all have the option of doing something different from each other to celebrate the holiday nightly.

"We let each residence hall staff decide how they are going to do it in their community," Temple said. "Most halls will do it at least one of the nights and provide the educational opportunity for other folks."

Every year that Hanukkah occurs during the school year, Residential Life and Hillel work together to make sure the holiday is recognized on campus.

Hillel Executive Director Kerry Hollander said the celebration of Hanukkah has become more apparent on campus over time as MU has changed.

"I think really the university's climate has changed over the years, and there is a greater emphasis on differences amongst us," Hollander said.

She said holiday celebrations, such as the ones being held for Hanukkah, help to better educate students about the world around them.

"Over the past several years we have had some experiences that have forced us to look at our community and say 'What is our goal in teaching students?'" Hollander said. "We have decided collaboratively that it is more than just teaching specific topics, it is educating the whole person, and that means helping that person be a committed, responsible participant in the world."

Mark Twain Residence Hall Coordinator Danielle Neuman is overseeing this year's nightly observation of Hanukkah in the residence hall.

She said she thinks observations such as the ones being held in her residence hall are important for student development.

"We look at student development as a whole, and I think spiritual development and spiritual identity is a really big part of that," Neuman said. "I think it is important students are able to celebrate worship and just be who they are spiritually."

Sophomore Emily Eisen, who observed Hanukkah at Mark Twain Hall on Wednesday night, said she appreciates having the holiday observed on campus.

She said that sharing her religion with others in the community helps to make people aware of her beliefs.

"I have been sharing it with kids in class since kindergarten just because I came from an area that was really not populated by a lot of Jewish people," Eisen said. "I have been in positions before with groups where I have talked about Judaism and spread the word about my beliefs. So its not misunderstood, but rather understood and appreciated."