That the first night of Chanukah (or Hanukkah, or Hannukah, or however you decide to spell it) fell on the same night as Christmas Eve this year meant that, around me at least, the Jewish holiday was more strongly thought of as "the Jewish Christmas" than ever before. It appears that Chanukah is more synonymous with gift-giving and "Chanukah bushes", rather than the narrative that it commemorates.
At a time when Baroness Deech stated barely a week ago that some of the top UK universities are becoming "no-go zones" for Jews, the lessons that the story of Chanukah brings to a Jewish student are more pertinent than ever.
The eight-day holiday reminds us of the importance of seeking freedom in times of despotism and oppression. The Maccabees were ordinary people who reclaimed their Temple in what appeared to be an unwinnable situation.
Whether you take the fables from the Torah literally or metaphorically, the message still stands: the small man, allied with his peers can fight and overcome what appears to be a ruling majority in their unwavering perseverance for justice and autonomy. It is the classic David and Goliath narrative, where the little guy comes out on top.
Among the shouty population who see their Jewish peers as dirty and inferior, who believe that we are less deserving of our place at university or our right to education because of our beliefs, it is incumbent upon us, the Jewish students at UK universities, to speak even louder. To show that despite their noise, they will not push us out of the places that we worked for and the opportunities that we deserve.
"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" If these questions were enough to keep Rabbi Hillel on the straight and narrow, they are probably of some use to us.
When the Chanukiah is lit, we are reminded why it is called the festival of lights. Although we probably aren’t going to get oil to last 800 times as long as it should, it is a timely reminder of the persisting light among what seems like overwhelming darkness, should we choose to have hope.
Ellie Hyman is the JC's student blogger
