U.S. Campus Life

Happy Hanukkah

By Masako Yamada

I've been living in the same place for about five years now, but my roommates have changed many times. Usually, they leave something behind when they leave. Many of the appliances, pieces of furniture and decorations currently in our apartment used to be owned by previous inhabitants. Until recently, there were even photos on our refrigerator of people whom none of us knew.

One of the old items that was up for several years is a miniature Christmas wreath. One of my ex-roommates attached it to the bathroom door. The wreath stayed up all year long for many years, mostly because nobody ever thought of taking it down. I didn't mind its being there. I thought it added a bit of color to the decor.

This fall, two of my roommates asked me whether they could take the wreath down. I wasn't the one who had put it up in the first place, so I told them I didn't mind. I don't think they wanted it taken down because it was ugly; they wanted it down because they are Jewish and it made them feel uncomfortable. I've found that even the most liberal, assimilated American Jews often don't celebrate Christmas. My other roommate is Muslim, so the wreath was clearly not an appropriate bathroom decoration.

Not so long after the wreath came down, a "Happy Hanukkah" banner went up on our wall. My two Jewish roommates decided to have a small menorah lighting festival on the first night of Hanukkah, and they asked me whether I'd make latkes (potato pancakes). I told them that I'd be happy to and that I could even make Hanukkah doughnuts.

I'm quite familiar with Jewish food, and I've made latkes many times before. I knew it would be faster and easier for me to make them than to see them struggle to follow a recipe. None of my roommates are particularly interested in cooking, and they seemed relieved that I would be making the pancakes. I suspected this was partly because they wouldn't have to go through the effort, and partly because they were afraid of having to eat the results.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it to the menorah lighting party so I couldn't make the doughnuts. They have to be freshly fried. I made the latkes beforehand and instructed my roommates to heat them up in the toaster oven or a frying pan.

My Turkish (Muslim) roommate seemed very interested in learning the history of this holiday, since she'd never heard of it before. I would have liked to have been there, too, since I'd never witnessed the actual lighting of a menorah. It's true that, for a goy, I probably have an excellent knowledge of Jewish rituals. But I've gotten a good deal of my education through books and movies, so my knowledge isn't truly alive. I appreciate getting glimpses of the history and culture at home.

None of my roommates are particularly "religious," but it's clear that their religion has influenced their personalities, and it's nice to be able to witness some of the rituals that have shaped their lives.

Having such friends and roommates has really opened my eyes and made me sympathetic to those "outsiders" who, for instance, don't celebrate Christmas. The Starbucks on campus is brightly decorated with Christmas decorations now, and the employees wear red and green Christmas uniforms. Even the paper coffee cups are red and green, and they have pictures of Christmas trees on them. This struck me as odd, or even offensive, at a university with a very large population of non-Christians.

I truly felt embarrassed for not having taken down the Christmas wreath on our bathroom door sooner. I think my roommates were also embarrassed to ask whether they could take it down. These issues can be sensitive. I'm delighted to see the "Happy Hanukkah" on the wall now. I just hope that my roommates will remember to take the sign down, and not leave it on the wall for several years.

Shukan ST: Dec. 21, 2001

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