Chanukkah’s Meaning Spun in Monroe

MONROE TOWNSHIP NJ — Rabbi Eliezar Zaklikovsky of the Chabad Jewish Center of Monroe used modern technology to revive an Old World art and teach a dozen youngsters the meaning behind the miracle of the Maccabees.

Armed with an olive press, several pounds of olives and a centrifuge, Zaklikovsky and his brood of Hebrew school students followed the age-old practice of squeezing oil from olives on Sunday to prepare for the first night of Hanukkah on Tuesday.

The students pitted the olives and put them into the press, taking turns spinning the lever as the juice and oils were released from the fruit.

They then took the mixture and spun it in a centrifuge to separate the oil, poured it into the silver menorah and lit a home-spun cotton wick.

The point, Zaklikovsky said, was to find an interactive way to teach the children the importance of Hanukkah, the holiday surrounding the outnumbered Maccabee victory over the Greeks and the lighting of the temple menorah.

But it does more than that, Zaklikovsky said, and it bolsters the tradition and increases understanding of the holiday.

“The less you water them down the more meaningful they are,” Zaklikovsky said of traditions, like the pressing of olives for oil. “It normally translates into a heightened excitement about the holiday and a willingness to incorporate the tradition in their own homes.”

In a loud and dramatic voice, Zaklikovsky recounted the story of the Maccabees and the miracle of one night’s oil lasting eight days. The students, mostly of elementary school age, called out answers to questions and volunteered to help press the olives and skim off the oil separated from the juices after a spin in the centrifuge.

Zaklikovsky told them that faith would help them persevere.

“We find the courage we have in our beliefs is able to get us through any trouble we have,” Zaklikovsky told the children.

Rose Schaffer, a student, said that her favorite part was the pitting of the olives. While many other children were saying the olive juice was gross, she seemed to relish it. But the point of the exercise was not lost on her.

“It’s cool,” she said. “I understand about the miracle.”

Gregg Nekrasovis said he did not know that the Maccabees were so outnumbered in the battle with the Greeks. Over all, he enjoyed the event.

“It was totally awesome,” he said.

Zaklikovsky has been performing the olive press event for people of all ages, seniors and students alike for four years.

He said wherever there are people interested in learning more about the holiday, he will teach them.