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44
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1990
night, and each night has to
be grander than the next.
GLORIA DONEN SOSIN
Chas v'chalila (which is
Special to The Jewish News
best translated as, heaven
forfend, or God forbid), the
n the 25th of Kislev,
child next door or in the
we celebrate the
same Hebrew class should
eight-day Festival of
get a finer present — but
Dedication, our wonderful
that is a different matter.
Jewish holiday — or should I
Writing the name of the
write Kholiday, perhaps
holiday in English, however
Chalidai, Hollidday or even
— ah, that is indeed a prob-
Cholliday.
lem. In Hebrew, it is quite
We retell the story of the
simple — five letters. The
Maccabees to our children,
exact phonetic symbols for
about Mattityahu and his
the Hebrew in translitera-
five sons who fought against
tion are KH-A-N-U-K-A-H.
King Antiochus and the
KH for the Khah, A for the
Syrians. When Mattityahu
vowel sound following, N for
grew too old, his son Judah,
Nun, U for the Vav, then K
known as Judah Maccabee,
for the Kuf, A, again the
led the Jews to victory and
voweled consonant, and H,
reclaimed the Temple in
Heh. KHANUKAH.
Jerusalem.
It might be CH instead of
Only enough oil was found
KH,
if the CH were always
to relight the Ner Tamid, the
pronounced
as in Bach, or
Eternal Light, for one day,
Loch Lomond. In English
but miraculously it con-
however, CH is usually the
tinued to burn for eight
CH in chair, or cherries, or
days. We light the candles
cheese. Sometimes CH is
each night as we recall our
just K as in chemistry and
divine deliverance from
choir or SH in words from
persecution. There is no
French like chateau, but
dispute about the story.
looking through the dic-
Non-Jews often equate this
tionary, there is no word
festival with Christmas
beginning with CH which is
(pronounced Krismas),
pronounced with that gut-
which comes at the same
tural sound.
season, but the two are
How all the other spellings
totally unrelated. From a
appeared
is anyone's guess.
simple custom of giving
The
double
N's and K's are
money, gelt (about which
particularly
mysterious, no
there is no argument, the
reason
for
them
at all.
spelling, that is), and shepp-
In
alphabetical
order, I
ing naches (the ineffable
have
seen
the
following
pleasure of parents concern-
spellings for this five letter
ing their children), the Jews,
Hebrew word: Channuka,
in an effort to be equal or
Channukah, Chanuka,
more than equal and not
Chanukah, Chanuko, Han-
deprive their, nebach (no
nuka, Hannukah, Hanuka,
translation needed), under-
Hanukah, Hanukkah,
privileged children, began
Khannuka, Khannukah,
also to give presents, not just
Khanuka, Khanukah and
one present, but one for each
Kanukkah. A newspaper
announcement last year il-
Gloria Doren Sosin, who
lustrated the problem
serves on the board of
perfectly: "Hanukkah
NYANA, is a free-lance writer
Dance. The Chavurah of the
who often writes on Jewish
Hebrew Institute will hold a
themes.
M. Sempliner