Latkes, jelly donuts and a laser light show — it must be Hanukkah

Photo/Elyse Winick

Members of the Brandeis community joined together in the Shapiro Campus Center on Wednesday, Dec. 4, the last night of Hanukkah, to celebrate the holiday and the spirit of the season.

Sponsored by Hillel at Brandeis, with the support and participation of Chabad, the evening included the lighting of individual hanukkiot and eating jelly donuts and latkes, two popular culinary staples of the holiday.

“[The] wonderful event was borne of our ongoing desire to promote a celebratory and accessible experience of Jewish life on campus,” said Rabbi Elyse Winick ‘86. “Our students sought to create an event facilitating traditional practice side by side with an entertaining way to bring the spirit of the holiday to life.”

The evening also included comments from several speakers. Rabbi Winick shared that everyone harbors a tiny flame, which collectively shine brightly against the darkness. Rabbi Peretz Chein of Chabad also spoke about the divine internal light with each person. Andrew Flagel, senior vice president for students and enrollment, spoke of the Hanukkah of his childhood before lighting a larger than life hannukiah and reciting the candle lighting blessings.

A Brandeis laser light show, set to Jewish and secular music fitting to the Hanukkah season, brought the event to a close.

“This is another great example of why we're not just any campus,” explains Winick. “We are Brandeis.”