fbpx
45.6 F
Spokane
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
HomeCommentaryAskAsk A Jew: Chanukah Greetings for Non-Jews

Ask A Jew: Chanukah Greetings for Non-Jews

Date:

Related stories

Seeds of Hope: Thoreau, Jesus, and Enduring Faith in Hard Times

In “The Succession of Forest Trees,” an 1860 address to folks attending a county cattle show (precursor to our county fair), Henry David Thoreau proclaimed his “faith in a seed.”

Let’s Check Our Ageism at the Door When Voting for President

Ageism happens to young and old alike. Though it’s much bigger news when it involves the two presumptive presidential candidates.

This Ramadan, Feel the Hunger and Feed the Hungry

Around the globe, Muslims, including myself, will be fasting for 29-30 days (depending on the sight of the moon), connecting with our Creator and finding solace at home or with our congregation. Ramadan gives us an opportunity to take a break from our fast-paced, hectic routines.

Happy National Sunshine Week: A Call for a More Transparent Government

The week of March 16 is celebrated as National Sunshine Week (this year March 10-16), calling for more transparency in government actions. 

Even My Inner Hermit Needs Connection

Tracy Simmons writes about how she challenges her inner hermit to reach out of her comfort zone to find connection with others, in her career and in her personal life.

Ask A Jew: Chanukah Greetings for Non-Jews

What questions do you have about Judaism? Submit them online, or fill out the form below. 

By Hyphen Parent

Is it appropriate for a non-Jewish person to wish a Jewish person, or the Jewish community Chag Urim Sameach, or should we stick with Happy Chanukah?

It’s not inappropriate, but it’s not necessary and not commonly used. 
“Happy Chanukah,” is a fine greeting and one commonly used among Jewish communities. The Hebrew can be tricky to pronounce and is very easily butchered. “Chag urim sameach,” isn’t really a common greeting among many Jewish communities. “Chag sameach” loosely translates to “Happy holiday” and can be used for a number of different holidays (although not all, so it’s best to be careful.). Chanukah is only a minor holiday and isn’t technically a chag, but many do say “Chag sameach” or “Chanukah sameach.” 

“Chag urim sameach” translates to the equivlaent of “Happy festival of lights.” Typically, only non-Jews refer to Chanukah as “The festival of lights.” This holds true for English and Hebrew. We just call it “Chanukah.” Generally, the only time you’ll hear a Jewish person refer to the holiday as “The festival of lights” is when trying to explain Chanukah to non-Jews (or when singing along with an Adam Sandler song meant to teach non-Jews about Chanukah). In all honestly, I’ve lived all across the country and I’ve never known a Jewish person in the U.S or Canada to use, “Chag urim sameach,” as a Chanukah greeting. 

“Happy Chanukah,” is an accurate greeting and much easier to pronounce. 

Hyphen Parent
Hyphen Parent
Dorothy-Ann Parent (better known as Hyphen) is a writer, a traditional Jew, a seeker of justice, a lover of stories and someone who’s best not left unattended in a bookshop or animal shelter.

Ad

spot_img
spot_img
spot_img
spot_img
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
spot_img
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x