Hanukkah in Rwanda
By Nick McClure
Last year, I wasn't very good about celebrating the Jewish holidays. Matzoh is hard to get here, and, having a seder alone doesn't sound like much fun anyway, so there goes Passover. Realistically, I'm not going to build a sukkah in my backyard, so Sukkot is out too. Compared to the other Jewish holidays, Hanukkah is relatively easy to celebrate in Rwanda. All you really need are candles, which can be found at nearly every shop in the country. Of course, I didn't bring a menorah with me, but melting candles onto a strip of cardboard works just as well, right?
I've told some members of my community that I'm Jewish. Most people simply understand that to mean I am a different type of Christian, like a Seventh-day Adventist, or even a Muslim. A few have a clearer understanding of what Judaism is and so I tried to explain the story of Hanukkah to those villagers. And for readers who are not quite sure, Hanukkah is a commemoration of rededicating the Temple in Israel around 200 B.C., after a war between the Israelites and the Syrians/Greeks. The Syrians were trying to prevent Jews from practicing their religion. After the Maccabees (Jewish rebels) drove the Syrians from Jerusalem, they wanted to purify and rededicate the Temple, which Syrians had temporarily used to pray to Zeus or some such god by the Hellenized Syrians. But, after arriving at the temple, the Maccabees discovered a problem – there was only enough oil for the lamp used in the temple every night to stay lit for one night. It would take eight days to produce more oil. By a miracle, the small vial of oil burned for eight nights. So now, we light candles for the eight nights of Hanukkah, or the “festival of lights.”
All the Rwandans who heard this story said it was very good, and a good reason for a holiday — to celebrate our history. Before, I had not thought of Hanukkah as a celebration of Jewish history. Actually, a fair number of Jewish holidays celebrate events from our history and particularly hardships we have overcome through the years. In holidays of many other religions, you don’t notice necessarily find a celebration of history or triumphs. After some reflection, I think this is probably one of the major reasons I continue to identify myself as a Jew, although I am not particularly religious. I never really consciously realized it before, but I value the connection Judaism gives me to my heritage, to the past and to the bigger picture.
I did not expect my Peace Corps service to lead to a greater consideration of religion and faith, or how they affect my life and the lives of the people in my community. By talking with others about my religion, attending church to integrate into the community and interacting with other volunteers, I had time to really examine religious ideas and how others view faith. Now I feel more comfortable talking about God and religion than I did before. Some Americans can be surprisingly squeamish about religion, but I greatly value this unexpected part of my Peace Corps service.
I've told some members of my community that I'm Jewish. Most people simply understand that to mean I am a different type of Christian, like a Seventh-day Adventist, or even a Muslim. A few have a clearer understanding of what Judaism is and so I tried to explain the story of Hanukkah to those villagers. And for readers who are not quite sure, Hanukkah is a commemoration of rededicating the Temple in Israel around 200 B.C., after a war between the Israelites and the Syrians/Greeks. The Syrians were trying to prevent Jews from practicing their religion. After the Maccabees (Jewish rebels) drove the Syrians from Jerusalem, they wanted to purify and rededicate the Temple, which Syrians had temporarily used to pray to Zeus or some such god by the Hellenized Syrians. But, after arriving at the temple, the Maccabees discovered a problem – there was only enough oil for the lamp used in the temple every night to stay lit for one night. It would take eight days to produce more oil. By a miracle, the small vial of oil burned for eight nights. So now, we light candles for the eight nights of Hanukkah, or the “festival of lights.”
All the Rwandans who heard this story said it was very good, and a good reason for a holiday — to celebrate our history. Before, I had not thought of Hanukkah as a celebration of Jewish history. Actually, a fair number of Jewish holidays celebrate events from our history and particularly hardships we have overcome through the years. In holidays of many other religions, you don’t notice necessarily find a celebration of history or triumphs. After some reflection, I think this is probably one of the major reasons I continue to identify myself as a Jew, although I am not particularly religious. I never really consciously realized it before, but I value the connection Judaism gives me to my heritage, to the past and to the bigger picture.
I did not expect my Peace Corps service to lead to a greater consideration of religion and faith, or how they affect my life and the lives of the people in my community. By talking with others about my religion, attending church to integrate into the community and interacting with other volunteers, I had time to really examine religious ideas and how others view faith. Now I feel more comfortable talking about God and religion than I did before. Some Americans can be surprisingly squeamish about religion, but I greatly value this unexpected part of my Peace Corps service.