Since I’m Jewish, you are welcome to wish me a Happy Chanukah.
But if that spelling of the holiday doesn’t suit you (even though it’s my preferred one), you’re also welcome to wish me a Happy Hanukkah, Hanuka, Hannukah, Chanuka, Channuka, Chanukka, Hanukka, Hannukkah, Channukka, or Channukkah.
Don’t fret about this, because the Encyclopedia Brittanica says there are more than 20 spellings, with Hanukkah most widely used and traditional Chanukah second, the latter preferred by dinosaurs like me who grew up with it in Hebrew school.
We find it natural to pronounce that throat-clearing, guttural “Ch,” also familiar in the traditional Jewish toast, L’Chaim – to life. Others tend to gag on it, though.
In our anglicized world, the Scots come close to replicating the sound with their word for lake – loch – as in ‘Loch Ness Monster.”
If you can’t handle it, don’t worry. Britannica assures us that trying to jump from one language’s alphabet to another with phonetic spelling – transliteration – is fraught with difficulties.
Time magazine reports that even up to a decade ago, Chanukah was the top choice for users of the internet, but that in recent years Hanukkah has gone mainstream.
“This is no cause for concern,” said a Time magazine article in 2017, because “With both correct, and about 14 others technically correct too, you’ve got a pretty good shot at getting the spelling right.”
The website My Jewish Learning, obviously conversant with contemporary venues, says it prefers Hanukkah, as do many of the major newspapers, because of popular usage. Still, it issues reassurance that “None of these spelling choices are inherently superior, and taste and styles change over time.”
Even the Orthodox Jewish sect Chabad, known for its preservation of tradition, is unwilling to rule on Hanukkah vs. Chanukah, posting articles on its website that use both spellings.
In fact, says Chabad Rabbi Menachem Posner, some Yiddish academics insist on the spelling Khanike, which they argue most accurately reflects the way Yiddish-speaking Jews invoke the holiday. But before you add that spelling to your kosher list, be aware that Rabbi Posner views it as “confusing as it is uncommon.”
In case you’re unfamiliar with the holiday, also known as the Festival of Lights, you might wonder what the word “Chanukah” means.
It translates as “Dedication” and commemorates over eight days, with the lighting of candles, re-dedication of the ancient temple in Jerusalem after a small band of Jews defeated the powerful Greek Syrian armies that defiled it.
Rabbi Posner suggests that no matter how you spell it, the concentration should be on celebration, and on “singing praises to God and expressing our gratitude for His kindness.”
Sounds kosher to me, so if we bump into each other during this season feel free to offer me the version of Happy “Chanukah” that you like best.
If you’re Christian, I’ll have the easier time of it, wishing you without second thought a traditional, grammatical, and universally accepted, “Merry Christmas.”
Gerry Goldstein (gerryg76@verizon.net), a frequent contributor, is a retired Providence Journal editor and columnist.
