The start of Hanukkah varies from year to year, but typically takes place anytime between late November and late December. This year, the first full day of Hanukkah fell on Thanksgiving, which was Nov. 28. It began at sundown the day before, and ended the evening of Dec. 5.

The only other time when the day of Thanksgiving was also the first day of Hanukkah was in 1861, before Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863. Technically, it was the first time the holidays converged, something that won’t happen again for at least another 70,000 years.

For residents at the Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence in Warwick, celebrating the eight-day Jewish holiday means getting together with loved ones. On the first night, they cook and eat potato latkes, best described as fried potato pancakes, as well as sufganiyot, or jelly doughnuts.

Muriel Perlman, along with her husband Cantor Ivan Perlman, usually serves potato latkes and beef brisket. Preparing the latkes, she said, is simple. She begins by grating potatoes by hand before seasoning them with salt and pepper, adding a bit of egg and matzo meal. 

“You mix it up, and then you take a tablespoon and put it in hot oil,” Muriel said. “You don’t turn it until it becomes brown. That’s the secret. And you turn it only once. This year, we’ll have a turkey with the latkes.”

Roberta Gilstein, whose mother Mimi Feinstein lives at the facility with her husband Al, said there are several ways to prepare brisket. Every family has their own way.

“I use whole berry cranberry sauce, water, some onion soup mix, and then I cut up some potatoes,” Gilstein said. “Another way to make it is sweet and sour with onions, carrots and sour salt.” Larry Landau, who works at Tamarisk as the Kosher mashgiach, meaning supervisor, also said Hanukkah is celebrated by eating sugar cookies shaped like the Magen David, or the Star of David, as well as dreidels, four-sided spinning tops. Dreidels are used for a gambling game that children play using gelt, the Yiddish word for money.

“It’s a children’s game where everyone puts some coins in and you spin the dreidel,” said Ethan Adler, Tamarisk’s spiritual coordinator. Each side of the dreidel bears a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, instructing players to take “nothing,” “half,” “all” or “put in” to the pile of gelt.

Adler, who was born in Israel, said there is a huge misconception in America that Hanukkah is the Jewish version of Christmas.

“They have nothing to do with each other,” he said. “It’s just the proximity of the calendar.”

Resident Marion Cotton agrees.

“Some people would say, ‘Oh, this is your Christmas?’ and I would say, ‘No,’” she said. “There’s no relationship at all.” Adler said Hanukkah is built up into a major Jewish holiday, but it isn’t. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is more celebrated, as is Yom Kippur, also known as Day of Atonement. It is the holiest day of the year within the Jewish community.

The word Hanukkah means “dedication” and is based on history. Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Greeks of the 2nd century BCE.

“Over 2,000 years ago, the Greeks and their expansion throughout the area destroyed the temple in Jerusalem,” said Adler. “Jewish people fought back. After about two or three years, they regained the temple. One of the first things they wanted to do when they rebuilt it was light the eternal light. There’s a story that says they only found a little bit of oil to light it, and they figured the oil would last one day. But it lasted for eight days.”

This story, he said, is the reason Hanukkah lasts eight nights and days. The tradition is to light candles each night at sundown, with one being lit on the first day, two on the second day, three on the third day, and so forth. One night candle is used to light the others; hence, there are nine branches on the menorah, a candelabrum. The ninth candle is known as the Shamash, which is a “helper” or “servant.” Residents say they enjoy educating others not only about Hanukkah, but also about their religion.

“Most people know nothing, or very little, of other peoples’ religion and their practices,” said Libby Arron. “Sometimes, it’s exploded into a more scary area instead of being a simple religious right that is enjoyed. It’s important not to have fear or criticism of other races and religions.”

In the 1990s, Arron served as chief protocol to former Rhode Island Gov. Bruce Sundlun, who was Jewish. At Christmastime, she said, there were always Christmas festivities at the State House but never for Hanukkah. So, Arron helped plan a Hanukkah celebration, and invited the general public.

“It was very well received,” she said, noting the educational value of the event. “Everyone knows about Christmas, but few people know what Hanukkah is, how it’s celebrated and what meaning it has. Having a Jewish governor allowed us to share it, and it was a wonderful way of sharing. Instead of it being a mystery, people learned about it. Some people asked if they could come to my home.”

Other residents agree. They have also created their own Hanukkah traditions. 

“In our family, Hanukkah is mostly getting together with family,” Feinstein said. “On Thanksgiving, we pick names, and who’s ever name you pick, you buy a gift for them.” Interestingly enough, they then exchange gifts on Christmas. But it’s not because they celebrate the Christian holiday.

“On Christmas Day, we get together and celebrate what we call, ‘Hanukkah Harry,’” said Gilstein, pointing about that the idea stemmed from a skit on Saturday Night Live. “We didn’t have a lot to do because everything was closed and nobody worked that day, so our family started to get together and have a Hanukkah celebration. We’ve been doing it for 30 years.”