SAN DIEGO – Chanukah, Hannukah, Hanukah, Hanukka, Hanuka. Hmm, so many ways the holiday is spelled. Personally, I like the spelling of Chanukah. Some of my non-Jewish friends would pronounce the “ch” sound phonetically saying cha-nukah and I would giggle. When my 12-year-old twins were learning to spell and read they would ask why there is a “ch” but is pronounced as a “huh.”
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, there are 24 spellings for Chanukah. The English transliteration is not exactly exact as it is a Hebrew word. The Hebrew letter Chet has a throat-clearing sound that is commonly read as C-H in English. The C-H sound can be difficult for English speakers to master which is why some say Chanukah is a traditional spelling of the word and the Hanukkah came later.
According to usatoday.com, when typing in Hanukkah in the Google search engine, the spelling of Hanukkah has been the most popular in the search engine for at least the past 15 years with the second-place spelling Chanukah becoming more popular in the past five years.
Whichever way you spell it, it is always fun to check out the decorations in stores like Target and Walmart and see what spellings they use.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Young Israel of San Diego announces its parshat class on Vayetzei 5785 will be at 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 5 on Zoom. Click here for the link and click here for the source sheet.
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Congregation Beth Israel’s Caring Community reports its “Healing Quilt Presentation” at 6:15 p.m., Friday, Dec. 6. The Caring Community will share with its congregants the assembled quilt made with assistance from The First Methodist Church. Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi Yael Vurgan from Sha’ar HaNegev (San Diego’s sister city in Israel) will discuss the dreams of her community following the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre.
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The San Diego Center for Jewish Culture announces “An Evening with Tal Schneider, the Times of Israel Correspondent” at 7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 9 at the Lawrence Family JCC. Schnieder will discuss Middle Eastern and Israeli politics and society through her first-hand experiences and journalistic expertise. Click here to register.
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Jewish Community Foundation San Diego and Impact Cubed are partnering to provide a webinar “Women During a Time of War” at 9 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 10. This is the second webinar in this monthly series on responding to needs in Israel which includes deep discussions with Israelis on the ground. Guest speakers include Ofir Dayan, researcher at the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies (INSS); Sapir Bluzer, senior consultant to the Ministry of Economy and Industry, and Fainy Sukenik, social entrepreneur, educator and ultra-Orthodox feminist activist. Click here to register.
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Lawrence Family JCC announces a “Mandelbaum Family Lecture Series: Maccabees, Mayhem and Myth: The Temple Conspiracy They Don’t Teach in Hebrew School”with Rabbi George Wielichowski at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 11 at the Coronado Public Library. Wielichowski will explore how Hanukkah emerged from an intense civil war between rival Jewish factions in Jerusalem. Click here to rsvp.
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Congregation Beth Israel announces a Sunday brunch and discussion on the current Jewish situation on campuses with Rabbi David Wolpe at 10:30 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 15. Wolpe will address challenges faced in the Jewish community today and how our history of resilience can help move us forward. Click here to register.
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Anti-Defamation League San Diego and Israel Baseball Americas announces a screening of the film Israel Swings for Gold at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Dec. 16 at Lawrence Family JCC. This documentary highlights Team Israel’s Olympic journey and their resilience in the face of antisemitism. After the screening a question and answer session will be hosted by former Major League Baseball players Kevin Youkilis and Brad Ausmus. Click here to rsvp.
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Hadassah Southern California reminds its members that it is time to order the 2025 Mah Jongg. Click here to order online and to mention Hadassah Southern California since each chapter receives credit for orders. Deadline to purchase is Sunday, Jan. 12.
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Jewish Federation of San Diego and the American Jewish Committee San Diego will co-host “Standing Together: A Community Response to Antisemitism” at 12:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb 2 at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel. This event is for community learning and action. Keynote speaker, Franklin Foer, New York Times bestselling author and political journalist, will address rising antisemitism and tools to stop its spread. Click here to register.
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AROUND THE COUNTY
San Diego Hebrew Day School reports that annual donations will be quadrupled thanks to a group of generous donors. Click here to donate.
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OBITUARY NOTICE
Edward Benjamin died Thursday, Nov. 28. Funeral services and interment will be at 1:15 p.m., Monday, Dec. 9 at Miramar National Cemetery, Am Israel Mortuary reports.
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Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.