At sundown, Josh Greenspan lit his menorah as his family lit theirs miles away.
Sunday was the first night of Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights. It was also the first time the UF sports management freshman was celebrating away from home, so FaceTime allowed him to light a menorah at the same time as his family in South Florida.
The 18-year-old then joined hundreds of Jewish Gators on the second floor of the Swamp Restaurant to eat jelly-filled doughnuts, latkes and other oily foods traditionally eaten during Hanukkah. The dinner was hosted by the Jewish Student Union and UF Hillel.
"It’s a different experience, but I’m not, like, sad or anything," Greenspan said.
During Hanukkah, it’s traditional to eat foods full of oil because during the rededication of a Jewish temple in the second century B.C., oil was needed to keep a menorah burning through the night. With only one jar of oil left, the oil lasted for eight days and eight nights until a new batch was made.
Within about half an hour, however, the food was gone.
More students showed up than expected, said Jonah Stein, the JSU president. He said the party had enough food for 250 people.
The night’s event cost about $1,500; $700 went toward food, $200 went toward a live guitarist and $600 went toward renting out the restaurant’s back deck.
"It’s packed," the 20-year-old biochemistry junior said. "We ran out of food very fast."
Regardless, Stein said, it felt great to have such a large turnout, which he credited to the large number of Jewish students at UF.
For Valerie Berman, a 20-year-old UF pre-nursing sophomore, Sunday night was also the first time she celebrated Hanukkah away from home because last year, the holiday was during winter break. She said the food reminded her of the Hanukkah celebrations back home.
"And it’s also an excuse to cheat on your diet during finals," she said, with an empty plate in front of her.
Contact Martin Vassolo at mvassolo@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @martindvassolo
