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Canterbury Celebrates the Festival of Lights at Annual Hanukkah Party

Hanukkah Party at Canterbury School

On December 8, Canterbury’s Jewish Students Association (JSA) welcomed their fellow Saints, School faculty, and peers from nearby schools to observe Hanukkah in the Steers Center. The event has become a beloved tradition on campus, offering an opportunity for students of all faiths to learn more about Jewish culture and heritage and have a good time. 

Ragland Commons was festively decorated for the occasion in blue and white—the holiday’s customary colors. Director of Information Technology Matthew Glaser ’86 once again made his famous latkes (fried potato pancakes), a traditional holiday treat that students look forward to every year. The menu included other traditional foods, like sufganiyot (jelly donuts), as well as more modern confections—dreidel-shaped Ring Pops were a particular favorite. 

The evening was spent playing the dreidel game, decorating Hanukkah-themed gingerbread houses, and mingling with guests visiting from Trinity-Pawling School, Kent School, and Rumsey Hall School. While the event is always a popular one on campus, this year’s celebration is widely agreed to have been the School’s biggest and most vibrant Hanukkah party yet.

“It was fun meeting students from other schools,” says William Van Vranken ’27. “There were a lot of good foods and activities, and it was nice to enjoy them with new people.”

Toward the end of the night, students gathered together to light the menorah. Members of the JSA lit the first of eight candles and recited a Hanukkah blessing. For Hudson Soifersmith ’27, a leader in the JSA who helped organize the event, the festivities were more than just a great party: it was a meaningful opportunity to share his culture.

“Being able to celebrate my Jewish heritage meant something special to me,” Hudson says. “When I think of my faith, I think of community. And so to have so many people come participate in my culture was really heartwarming. It makes me love the Canterbury community even more than I already do.”

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