R.C. lawmaker celebrates Hanukkah, state's diversity

By Mary Garrigan, Journal Staff Writer | Saturday, December 20, 2003

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Judas Maccabeus may have witnessed the miracle of one day's lamp oil lasting for eight nights in a Jerusalem temple in 165 B.C., but state Rep. Stan Adelstein got his own Hanukkah miracle Friday on the front steps of the state Capitol building in Pierre.

Without planning to, Adelstein flicked the switch on the 8-foot-tall menorah outside the Capitol at exactly sundown - 5:08 p.m. CST - Friday, which marked the beginning of the Jewish eight-day festival known as Hanukkah.

Late on a Friday afternoon, the state Capitol building was nearly deserted, save for a handful of tourists viewing the Christmas tree display and the small entourage that flew with Adelstein from Rapid City for the menorah-lighting ceremony.

As Adelstein lit the menorah, Ann Stanton, a Jewish woman from Rapid City, and Ruth Arano, who is engaged to be married to Stanton's son, spoke the traditional Hanukkah prayer: "Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who has hallowed us with his commandments and commanded us to light the candles of Hanukkah. Amen."

Hanukkah is the third-most observed Jewish holiday in the United States, but its religious importance to Jews pales in comparison to such Jewish holy days as Yom Kippur and Passover.

Because of its proximity to Christmas in an overwhelmingly Christian nation, Hanukkah may have taken on a cultural significance among American Jews as a way to compensate for the Christmas season, Stanton said.

When they were children, Stanton gave her three sons small gifts for each night of Hanukkah, partly, she admits, to compete with the piles of Christmas gifts their Christian friends received. She even invented Hanukkah Sam, a Santa-like character who hid the gifts around the house each night.

Some Jews say the two holidays' close timing has contributed to the misperception that Hanukkah has nearly equivalent meaning as Christmas.

Despite its relative religious insignificance, Adelstein has made the effort to light a menorah at the state Capitol for the past three years as a point of Jewish pride and to make a point about religious diversity in the state.

"It's important for the awareness it brings that this state is not monolithic," Adelstein said of the menorah, the lone Jewish symbol in a Capitol that overflows with Christmas trees at this time of year. "It tells us that every belief is welcome."

Adelstein and Art Janklow, a member of the Rapid City Jewish community, installed the menorah three years ago at the invitation of Janklow's brother, then-Gov. Bill Janklow, who insisted the government building be open to symbols of all religions. This year, a nativity scene of the birth of Jesus Christ is in place near the state Supreme Court chambers in the Capitol.

That inclusivity is important to Jamison Rounds, the director of the Governor's Office of Strategic Initiative and also the governor's younger brother, who was thrilled to attend his first-ever menorah lighting ceremony. "I love learning about things like this," he said.

Rounds, who spent a year in a Twin Cities seminary and two-and-a-half years studying at the Catholic Church's Pontifical North American College in Rome, admits he may be more interested in theological matters than the typical Christian. "As Christians, we should realize that this is where our roots are - in Judaism," he said. "This is a sign that we include everybody here."

After the short prayer service, Adelstein flew back to Rapid City to light another menorah, the one outside his West Boulevard home, and to host his annual Hanukkah open house for the Jewish community of Rapid City.

He left the task of lighting the Pierre menorah for the next seven nights to Bob Travis, a Capitol tour guide and volunteer.

Travis said he would be honored to offer the Jewish prayer and light each candle, (from right to left, just as Hebrew is read) at sundown each night.

He's an Episcopalian, Travis said, but he doesn't think God will mind.

Contact Mary Garrigan at 394-8410 or mary.garrigan@rapidcityjournal.com