Each year, around five percent of Americans celebrate Chanukah. While that may seem like a small amount, it equals about 17 million people in the United States alone. Across the globe, 21 countries enjoy the holiday. This means hundreds of millions of people celebrate Chanukah. and the festivities that come along with it. Here, in our small town of Glen Rock, the Lipsons are just one of many families included in the Jewish community. 

Chanukah is typically celebrated over eight nights, as the menorah isn’t lit until sundown, and is significant to the story of the holiday where the eternal flame lasted eight days. Most years, the Lipsons host at their home, and each night they invite a different part of their family to ensure they spend time with everyone. They enjoy the tradition of lighting the menorah, lighting one candle each night while moving from right to left. They also eat fried food to signify the oil used to light the eternal flame. The Lipson family sticks to these religious traditions and even has some of their own. Jessica Lipson, mom of junior Shoshana and freshman Dahlia who are students here at GRHS, makes fried, powdered donuts that are filled with jelly. Their grand- mother also gifts matching pajamas to the girls and all their cousins each year. Shoshana claims her favorite was a pair of blue menorah pants she once received.

Lipson also talked about how overshadowed Chanukah is by Christmas. She explained somewhat guarded, “I feel like it’s had a large impact on the way the holiday is celebrated. Chanukah gifts are adapted because American Jewish people saw Christians getting gifts and they wanted [them]. Christmas episodes, Christmas trees in the school, the Christmas tree in town [while the] menorah sits on the ground, Christmas ads. Holiday means Christmas now.” Despite this sometimes ostracized feeling, a lot of solace is still found within the Glen Rock Jewish community.

Shoshana’s father, Jeffrey Lipson, is the former president (2021-2024) of the Glen Rock Jewish Center and its liaison to the religious communities. He is also on the House and Security Committee and the ADL committee and holds the title of the GRJC’s liaison to the Glen Rock Police Department. Her father’s heavy involvement within the Glen Rock community has helped Lipson build a stronger sense of home and self within the town.

“Him being a part [of the community] has helped me connect more with the community and my roots. It helped make me proud of my Jewish roots and shaped me as a young Jewish woman,” she gratefully expressed. 

Shoshana excitedly spoke about Chanukah outside of just Glen Rock, and what it’s like to experience it from the perspective of a Jewish person. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not technically a holiday, but rather a festival of light. The Lipsons enjoy a carnival put on by their synagogue which includes singing songs in Hebrew, face painting, lighting the menorah as a group, dancing, and of course, eating fried food. Shoshana expressed almost reminiscently how important spending this quality time as a community is, “Chanukah is a beautiful time of year that allows us to reconnect with our friends and family through the festival of light and the happiness it brings.”