Zada’s Hanukkah Legacy
The story “Zada’s Hanukkah Legacy” by author Matt Cohen was firstly published in the year 1995 in Canadian Geography magazine. I revisited the Seventh edition of reader’s choice Essays for Thinking, Reading, and Writing book. In this story, the author reflects his past trip from Ottawa to Toronto to celebrate the Hanukkah during his childhood with his family. When they reach Toronto there was a warm welcome by the grandmother, everything was ready for dinner. Zada who was the grandfather took them to the Menorah, and blessings the Hanukkah candles. Zada told the history of the celebration to the author. Hanukkah’s celebration of the victory of the Jewish People about their migration to Jerusalem in 5th century BC and they become familiar to the new place. But in 175 BC the Jewish people are forced to follow Greek religion. Despite of that in 168 BC a Jewish priest Mattathias stood up for his religion and killed the captain and the traitor who was forcing the people to eat meat of pig. After this time they move to the hills and then their movement started which was called the Maccabee uprisings.
With the passage of time the Jewish people reclaimed the Jerusalem and also the temple. For the celebration the event in 165 BC, there was the oil to burn the lamp for one day but the lamps burn for eight days till they could find more oil. That was a miracle for the people. People believed this event specially and then Hanukkah celebration began. He also describes that people are celebrating Christmas on their own ways and finishes the day in doing different activities. He also missed that days which were the most memorable to his life and that vacation which was unforgettable. Matt from that time remember that trip as not a just trip but its more than that. He believed that Zada’s teaching build up his values in Hanukkah. And inspired him to tell this values to his children and grandchildren who are unaware o.f such precious things.
