Hanukkah is essentially about the history of the liberation struggle — Yulia Robchynska

Yulia Robchynska, a Jewish education manager at Project Kesher, talks about Hanukkah.

[Editor’s note: This interview originally aired in 2023.]

What is Hanukkah for your family?

Yulia Robchynska: In my family, this holiday was not celebrated for a very long time, even though my grandfather said they always celebrated Hanukkah when he was little. But that was before World War II, after which the tradition was lost. I have now restored it with my own hands in my family. We have a Hanukkah menorah, the habit of lighting candles, and putting the menorah on a windowsill as a sign that a Jewish family lives here. I have developed a habit of making ladkis every December. Thus, we are developing our own tradition, restoration, and a family circle with our Hanukkah customs.

Yelyzaveta Tsarehradska: Have you discovered something new for yourself in the process?

Yulia Robchynska: Discovery follows discovery here. Like many things in the Jewish tradition, Hanukkah has external and internal meanings. Of course, the first thing I learned was its outward appearance. These are candles, and the flame increases from day to day as the Hanukkah menorah burns brighter and brighter. It's fascinating. In fact, when they talk about the miracle of Hanukkah, the lights are mentioned first. "The victory of light over darkness," they say. There's one candle burning on the first day, two on the second, and eight on the last day. It gets really bright. In December, when the nights are long, this light literally dispels the darkness. But the way of learning traditions is deeper and more interesting. This became especially clear for me against the background of a full-scale invasion because the essence of the victory of light is not only in burning candles, as it turned out.

The history of Hanukkah is connected to the struggle against occupation. In fact, this is the history of the liberation struggle, the struggle to preserve one's traditions. If we look back at Israel's history, it was when Israel was conquered by the Greeks and subjected to Hellenization. To put it in modern terms — the story looks pretty familiar — it was soft Hellenization to the point of appearing positive. For example, the Tanakh, the Holy Book of the Jews, was translated into Greek.

However, this gentleness gradually subsided, and Hellenization became harsh, incredibly harsh in some cases. First, Hellenic pagan traditions were imposed. Second, Jewish traditions were forbidden. Jews were no longer able to observe Shabbat, celebrate Jewish holidays, and hand over the Torah. These things were important to them, so they were forced to rebel to free themselves and preserve their traditions and the light of their culture despite the onslaught of invaders. This was the biggest discovery for me because it strongly resonates with our current situation in Ukraine as we fight for our culture, independence, and life.

What do people do during the Hanukkah celebrations?

Yulia Robchynska: Importantly, Hanukkah is not a religious holiday, even though there is the presence of the Most High, because He revealed his miracle by making a small jug of oil, which was supposed to last only for a day, burn in the lamp for eight days. During this time, they made new oil and refilled the lamp. This was God's miracle.

Now, they light the Hanukkah menorah similarly, using ordinary candles or oil lamps. The menorah is usually placed either on a windowsill or even in front of the entrance door of the house, climate permitting, so that others can see this festival of light. It's a repetition of the miracle. The holiday lasts eight days. One candle is lit on the first day; one more is added on the second, and so on until the eighth day. Then, there is a ninth candle called the shamash, used to light the Hanukkah lamp (or the other candles of the Hanukkah menorah). We say that candles are not used to light the room on Hanukkah. These are purely ritual candles. That is, if there is no electricity, we light additional candles.

For women, the lighting of Hanukkah candles is a moment when they put aside all their work and dedicate this time to remembering the miracle of Hanukkah. Hanukkah candles burn for at least 30 minutes. This is when you really can and should turn away from any business, calm down, reflect, rejoice, and take comfort in the fact that your family has gathered together.

Oil is also featured in traditional Hanukkah cooking. Many Hanukkah dishes are prepared using oil, the best known being pampukhs, or sufganiyot. They can have a sweet filling or simply be sprinkled with powdered sugar. It's always a holiday for children. And it is customary to fry ladkis. There's a good reason why this word resembles the Ukrainian oladky. This Yiddish word was borrowed from the Ukrainian language, as Ukrainians and Jews lived side by side for many centuries. Their histories and cultures are very closely intertwined. Fried in a large amount of oil, ladkis are similar to potato pancakes or potato fritters. You can also make other dishes, such as fried fish.

The table should be festive, but there are no rules regarding clothing. Another beautiful custom is giving children Hanukkah gelt, i.e., coins. These used to be real coins. Even the poorest families tried to provide their children with at least a few coins. At the same time, the child had to give at least one coin as charity to someone in need. Now, chocolate coins are handed out. It's also a holiday for children because there is a symbol and sweets. Hanukkah gelt can be used in one traditional game, which emerged much later. It is played using a spinning top of a specific shape. It has four faces with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet written on each. These are the first letters of the phrase "A great miracle happened here." It's a hint at the essence of Hanukkah. This top is spun; depending on which letter falls out, children can win more coins or lose something. There's such a fun exchange going on. The spinning top once served as a symbol of Jewish traditions preserved under prohibitions and restrictions. These four letters were a reminder that the Jewish people had their own writing, alphabet, books, and culture, which they were forced to preserve even in secret. These traditions are still relevant today. They are practiced both in religious communities and among secular Jews.

"Jewish Weekend" in Kyiv

Yelyzaveta Tsarehradska: Please tell us about the idea behind the "Jewish Weekend," an event held in Kyiv on 9-10 December.

Yulia Robchynska: Project Kesher held a two-day event called "Jewish Weekend" for the second time. The first one was in Lviv last autumn. Judging by the number of attendees and their feedback, this is a very relevant event for our time. Its primary purpose is to illustrate the mutual influences between Ukrainian and Jewish cultures in various spheres. As I've mentioned, Jews and Ukrainians have lived in the same lands for many centuries. Interactions occur completely naturally and are felt in multiple domains, from language and literature to music, architecture, and cooking. We invite lecturers who can show, illustrate, and comment on how these two cultures have enriched each other. Our audience is not only the Jewish community of Ukraine but also people interested in the history of Ukraine in general and the history of peoples who have long lived on these lands and made their contributions.

We talked about different things. About how the Yiddish language survived despite the war and the destruction of European Jews. About how antisemitism emerged and was intentionally reinforced. About how Ukrainian and Jewish traditional clothes, which used to be completely different from each other, became more alike under the influence of European fashion. About how Jewish motifs are woven into traditional Ukrainian music, with musicians sometimes unaware of the fact. In short, there are many discoveries in this field and lots to talk about.

The interest and awareness of people in this area are hugely pleasing. People come to our events prepared to reflect and speak on difficult topics and discuss complex historical issues. It inspires us to do more and continue this project. For 2024, Project Kesher has planned four more such events in different cities of Ukraine. We hope that there will be even more discoveries, including for ourselves.

Yelyzaveta Tsarehradska: Were there discussions or discoveries that spoke to you directly about the importance of this event?

Yulia Robchynska: There were many emotions and discoveries, too. In particular, it was a pleasant surprise for me that Crimean Tatar activists and members of the Armenian diaspora in Ukraine came to listen. They came ready to comment on what the lecturers said, join the discussions, and continue them after the lectures. Behind-the-scenes communication is equally helpful and fascinating as attending lectures and workshops. The attendees have well-formed personalities and exhibit their own viewpoints, a high level of tolerance for other opinions, as well as a willingness to listen and discuss them. This openness and ability to engage in discussions is another discovery I find invaluable in these events because we do have things to discuss.

The program of new events will not be permanent. Our two weekends were different in terms of content. The only thing we keep is the variety of formats: from serious lectures to excursions and from master classes to tastings. This helps people get to know each other in different ways, both through the mind and feelings. All this produces a complete and living picture. There are many questions that we need and want to consider.

We all have the same vision for the future and the same values. We need to learn the lessons of the past, speak, live, and move forward together.

This program is created with the support of Ukrainian Jewish Encounter (UJE), a Canadian charitable non-profit organization. 

Originally appeared in Ukrainian (Hromadske Radio podcast) here.

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. 

Translated from the Ukrainian by Vasyl Starko.

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