Chanukah, like many Jewish holidays, expresses gratitude for survival and urges people to keep moving forward. The word chanukah means "dedication," and the holiday was named because the ancient Macabbees rededicated the Jerusalem Temple to Judaism after a battle for control of their land against the Seleucid Greeks. There are many explanations for the 8-day length of the holiday. My favorite explanation is from the Second Book of the Macabbees 10:6. It explains that the Macabbees celebrated for eight days as a belated Festival of Booths (Sukkot), for during that fall festival they had been hiding in the caves and battling for their lives. During this first Chanukah celebration, they offered hymns of thanksgiving while carrying ivy-wreathed wands, beautiful branches, and palm fronds to the restored Temple. This story serves as a model for our own "battles" and "rededications." For the CSUN Jewish Studies Program faculty, the winter break provides rest from the hard work of teaching students, grading papers, and directing programs. We look proudly at all that we have accomplished and thankful to all those who have supported us. Then it is time to look ahead to the next semester, the next course, and the next public event. The increasing number of lights on the Chanukah menorah reminds us of the challenges ahead and the rewards which come to those who are dedicated to illuminating the lives of others. Happy Chanukah to you all!

December Campus Talk by a Role Model for a Communal Service Career

Students in Professor Linda Yellin's "Jewish Communal and Family Structure" class were treated to a presentation by Professor Ralph Segalman, a respected and published scholar on matters of the family and community. Dr. Segalman spoke movingly about his work as consultant to the public schools, his service in the Joint Distribution Committee assisting war refugees after World War II, and his strategies for helping others cope with challenges and adversity. It was very inspiring to all!

An award of $250 is given yearly at Hanukkah to the senior Jewish Studies Minor with the highest academic achievement overall and in the Minor. This year's winner is Heather McClellan. Heather is a Religious Studies Major with a 3.78 grade point average, and she has been an exemplary student in her Jewish Studies classes. Heather works part-time with autistic children, and she is considering a career in Special Education

Free screening of award-winning film "Go For Zucker" at the Fallbrook Laemmle Theatre, West Hills, on Thursday evening, February 2, 2006.