By Amir Sharim
Finally the school week is over! The last lectures of the quarter have been completed and you have finals ahead of you. However, the one bright side of the week is that you get to relax for a couple of hours at Chanukah Shabbat dinner, made possible by all the hard work of Chabad of UCI and Hillel of UCI! Chanukah Shabbat was by far the biggest and most extravagant Shabbat of the quarter, with over one hundred students, parents and community members in attendance.
Services started off the night, allowing everyone to welcome the Shabbat and get in a festive mood. Once everyone arrived, Rabbi Zevi led the way with prayers over the challah and wine. The feast was finally served, a Persian-themed meal that was amazing to say the least. The room was full of people telling others about their week, chewing food, and students complaining about the horrible week ahead. However, Rabbi Zevi got everyone’s attention with just two infamous words…
L’chaim L’chaim!!
He told us the story of Chanukah and how the Jews survived yet another attempt to destroy them. He reminded us of the miracles that occurred, such as how the outnumbered Jewish army survived and was victorious against a much more skilled and advanced Roman army. Additionally, he informed us of the significance of the eight nights of Chanukah, relating it to the eight nights that the oil lasted in the broken down temple.
To culminate the night, Chanukah songs were sang and Soofkaniot were handed out to everyone as a Chanukah treat!