JAMIE HEATO
What is it like for Jews living in Utah during the advent of Christmas celebration?
'It is hard to describe the intensity of the Christmas season if you're not part of the predominantly Christian society ... From the cutting down of forests to the gift-giving orgy, it is an overwhelming experience,' said Robert Goldberg, member of the Kol Ami Jewish congregation in Salt Lake City and professor of history at the University of Utah.
To countervail Christmas, Hanukkah has turned from a minor holiday celebrating a military victory to a major holiday, Goldberg said. He felt that since his parents' generation, Jewish families have celebrated Hanukkah more intently.
'By lighting a candle on the menorah each night, exchanging gifts, singing songs and playing games together, Jewish parents can confront the December dilemma and emphasize their own religion,' said Goldberg.
He said that he and his wife started spending a lot more time talking with their children about the significance of Hanukkah after his second-grader was asked in a creative writing exercise in school to make a Christmas gift list.
There is a rising trend of awareness and appreciation for non-Christians in Utah, Goldberg said.
'People in Utah are very respectable by discussing and including Hanukkah in schools and other institutions,' said Rabbi Frederick Wenger of Salt Lake City's Congregation Kol Ami.
Goldberg said by talking about Hanukkah in schools, pressure is taken off Jewish children and teenagers who don't want to feel different. 'If Jewish traditions are given attention, it is like a validation of who Jewish people are.'
In the last few years there has been more general awareness of Hanukkah, said Victor Ludlow, BYU professor of ancient scripture, who also teaches the Judaism and the Gospel class. He has noticed an increase in teachers and bookstores calling for information on Hanukkah and wanting to be politically and religiously correct.
Goldberg noted that especially this year he has seen an increase in awareness in the retail circuit. 'I asked for wrapping paper in a non-traditional Christmas color at Gregory's this year, and they offered me Hanukkah paper.' He said those type of things make people feel better about where they live.
Goldberg said that being Jewish in Utah is easy. 'Mormons have a love-affair with Jews -- they think of us as biblical cousins.
'Since the beginning of Jewish settlement in Utah, there has been a positive relationship between Latter-day Saints and Jews,' Goldberg said. Brigham Young donated land for the Jews to build a Jewish cemetery, and he let them use LDS church-owned buildings.
'Mormons and Jews share in the cause of Zionism -- the goal is the same, the reasons are just different,' Goldberg said.
Goldberg said that Latter-day Saints show respect for Judaism by not proselytizing Jews. 'It seems to be an unspoken tenant. I have lived in Utah since 1980 and have not been approached by Mormon proselytizers.' He said he appreciates the awareness of differences and respect shown