By Associated Press
Florence AL – Eric Roddy has celebrated Hanukkah all his life. But, as a child, the 14-year-old from Sheffield and his two brothers had stockings filled with treats and visits to Santa Claus customs associated with Christmas.
"I never wanted them to think that they were on the bad list from Santa because they were Jewish," said Eric's mother, Wendy Roddy.
Integrating holiday traditions into Hanukkah celebrations is not uncommon for many Jewish families. Hanukkah celebrates the Maccabees victory over the Greeks and the rededication of the Holy Temple and altar as told in the Book of Maccabees.
Traditions such as lighting the menorah, a candle holder that holds eight candles, and a shamash candle to light others, symbolizes the oil that burned in the Holy Temple days longer than expected.
Hanukkah starts on Dec. 21 and lasts eight days.
Each family celebrates differently, said Rabbi Batsheva Appel, director of rabbinic services at the Goldring Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, Miss.
Much of the way a family addresses Hanukkah has to do with the religious backgrounds of parents. Wendy Roddy was raised Methodist, and until her children were born, she and her husband, who was raised Jewish, celebrated Christmas and Hanukkah.
"Culturally, they know how to be Jewish in the South, and they've dealt with that before," Appel said.
Wendy Roddy often spoke to school classes to educate her son's classmates about Hanukkah.
"I think ever since my kids have been in kindergarten, the teachers and the schools have been very gracious about asking us to come up to bring a menorah or spin the dreidel..." she said. "People are very sensitive to it. I think (Eric's) friends are really interested in it, and they think getting eight presents is awesome," she said, with a laugh.
Local merchant support of Hanukkah is not as common.
"Another thing that's challenging is not finding anything that's Hanukkah-related here in any retail stores," Wendy Roddy said.
She took opportunities to talk about to Hanukkah to her sons, when they arose.
"I can remember when they were little, and we would drive down Court Street, and I would tell them to connect the dots on those snowflakes that they were really a Star of David," Wendy Roddy said.
A few blue and silver wrapped gifts sit beside the Roddys' fireplace and black grand piano, but the family doesn't give presents to each other every day of Hanukkah, "because eight nights of presents is just not good for anybody," Wendy Roddy said.
Instead, the family will go out for a nice dinner or watch a movie.
Though the Roddys usually don't have a Christmas tree at their home, it's not unusual for Jewish families to have one, Appel said.
"Having a Christmas tree is not part of the Jewish celebrations, with that being said, there are number of families with non-Jewish members and they may have a Christmas tree," she said.
Celebrating Hanukkah in the Shoals is a mixed blessing for the Roddys.
Though many of Eric's friends ask to learn about Hanukkah and some attend his temple's Hanukkah party, other kids are not so open minded.
"Sometimes there are immature kids who make jokes about (Hanukkah), but other than that, everyone is really accepting."
His appreciation of Hanukkah has grown from a fascinating story and presents to a religious devotion.
"When I was a kid, I was like 'OK the story's pretty cool, but I get presents,'" he said.
"You kind of take an observance how lucky people were that the oil (in the Holy Temple) lasted eight nights."
Such a transition is typical, as teens mature, Appel said, and any feelings of missing out on Christmas likely subside.
"For teens, I think it becomes less of a problem because by the time you're a teenager, you know who Santa Claus is. Also as you get older, you become aware of all the Christmas songs and what they really mean and that it's not all "Jingle Bells."
Eating latkes, a potato pancake cooked in oil, is Eric's favorite Hanukkah food. His favorite memory has less to do with the rich dairy and oil foods and more with an Xbox 360.
"They said there was no way I was going to get it, and I was kind of ready for that," he said, but "The first night I opened a present, and I got it."
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Information from: TimesDaily, http://www.timesdaily.com/
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