charitable giving
On the ‘Festival of Lights,’
an Opportunity to Give Back
Sarah Ogince | Special to the JE
H eard of the Squishmallow? Quirky,
cuddly and only $25 a pop, it appears
on just about every one of the “must
have” gift lists that thoughtful retailers
have compiled to inspire children and
strike fear into the hearts of their parents.

The season of spending is upon us.

But if the idea of shopping for
Chanukah gifts this year fills you with
an extra measure of dread, you’re not
alone. Rising prices on basic staples have
left American consumers with a mild
aversion to malls: More than half say
they will buy fewer gifts this year due to
inflation, according to a recent survey by
coupon aggregator Retail Me Not.

Instead of opting for generic brands
and smaller quantities, perhaps it’s a
good opportunity to revive a time-hon-
ored Jewish tradition — Chanukah
gelt, which, in its original form, made
the “Festival of Lights” a holiday to
strengthen the bonds of community and
to give without the expectation to receive.

Chanukah gelt first emerged in
18th-century Eastern Europe, but the
money wasn’t for children: “Teachers
would be tipped or paid then, proba-
bly in keeping with the etymological
link between Chanukah (‘dedication’)
and chinuch (‘education’),” said Eliezer
Segal, professor emeritus of classics and
religion at the University of Calgary.

From there, the custom morphed into an
all-out charity bonanza. Chanukah gelt
“tours” — when teachers, cantors, bea-
dles and even butchers would go house
to house accepting donations — appear
frequently in early Chasidic stories.

The custom also made its way into
Sephardic communities. Segal noted that
in pre-state Jerusalem, yeshivah teachers
would walk through the Jewish Quarter
on Chanukah singing Ladino songs and
collecting contributions.

It was only in the 19th century that gelt
was given by parents to children. Though
no one is sure why the switch occurred,
mass immigration and outside influences
played a role. “In America, the need to com-
pete with Christmas presents is, of course, a
decisive factor in popularizing the practice,”
Segal said. Along with this new incarnation
of the custom came its now more famil-
iar chocolate counterpart, a 20th-century
Jewish riff on the chocolate Santa.

Today, Chanukah gelt is embraced by
those eager to avoid the consumerism of
the holiday season. And as an alternative
to the Xbox, it certainly caries signifi-
cant educational value. Children can be
encouraged to save or to spend on books
and other meaningful purchases, and to
give a tenth of their haul to charity, as
Jewish law stipulates.

But in keeping with the original spirit of
gelt, Chanukah is also a time to give out-
side the home. They may not be knocking
on the door or singing songs outside the
window, but there are many charities in
the Philadelphia area that provide essen-
tial support to Jewish children.

“Contrary to the trivialized Hollywood
or Borscht-belt portrayals, Chanukah is
an adult holiday devoted to themes of
struggle, freedom, miracles and wor-
ship,” Segal said.

Treats and gifts are a good way to get
the kids involved, but they shouldn’t be
allowed to overshadow the deeper values
at the heart of the holiday. Chanukah
gelt developed long after the Maccabees
waged their unlikely struggle against the
Greeks, but its focus on tradition and
strengthening the institutions that per-
petuate it is something they would have
recognized. The Squishmallow is not. JE
Sarah Ogince is a freelance writer.

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