By Kira Cluff
Leaning forward, ever so slightly, Emily Brudney waves her arms toward herself three times, swirling a circular pattern of candle smoke in the air. Placing her hands over her eyes for a few seconds she begins to intone the Shabbat prayer in the tongue of her ancestors, 'Barukh atah Adonai, Elohaynu, melekh ha-olam, asher kid''shanu b''mitzvotav, v''tzivanu l''had''lik neir shel shabbat (Amein).'
Gathering strength, Brudney continues, in English this time: 'Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who sanctifies us with his commandments, and commands us to light the candles of Shabbat (Amen).'
The audience responds with a rumbling, if hesitant, 'Amen' and looks up for further direction.
Brudney''s lighting grin spreads across her face, as she carefully pulls back the delicate white lace prayer shawl and says, 'That was good. I think you guys are getting the hang of it.'
On this, the last night of Hanukkah, several BYU students have gathered to help the 25-year-old cultural anthropology major from Fortuna, Calif. celebrate a holiday largely exaggerated in the rush to honor all cultural holidays centered in the month of December.
'It''s one of the lesser holidays in Judaism,' Brudney said. 'It''s not that important but it''s commercialized because it''s celebrated right at Christmas time.'
Brudney represents a large percentage of students attending BYU who honor a religious heritage far different from those that include the celebration of Christmas.
Hanukkah, known as the 'Celebration of Lights, ' memorializes two related events in Jewish history-Judah Maccabee''s second century liberation of Israel from Seleucid domination, and the subsequent 'miracle of the oil' that transpired during the temple rededication.
Every night of the eight-day celebration, Jewish families light a new candle on the Hanukkah menorah. Some families exchange a new gift every night of the holiday.
As a child, Brudney''s father taught her the Hanukkah traditions she has shared with hundreds of students attending Bonneville Elementary in Orem this past month.
'The kids are thrilled to learn and remember what I teach them,' she said. 'Now I see several children playing dreidle on the playground during recess or have decided to do reports on Hanukkah for their classes.'
According to Brudney, the greatest compliment you can pay a Jew is to ask them about their religious beliefs.
'Some people are afraid that they will offend you but after centuries of miss understanding, asking questions when you don''t know the answer is the best thing that you could do,' she said.
When the Hebrew and Muslim calendars coincide, as they do this year, the Israelite nation and its people celebrate Hanukkah at about the same time the Muslims begin a month-long ritual fast that symbolizes obedience and long-suffering.
Hani Almadhoun, 21, an international studies major from Palestine and the student president of BYU''s Muslim Student Association, said celebrates Muhammad''s having received the Quran through divine inspiration.
During the month, believers abstain from food, drink or tobacco from sunrise to sunset. The beginning of the fast starts at dawn Sahar, and ends at sunset, Iftaar, when family and friends gather to enjoy a meal together.
Ramadan ends on Fid al-Fitr or 'The Day of Feasting.' Friends and family gather for a magnificent feast of foods and desserts. Because the month of Ramadan ended earlier this week, free time is playtime, Almadhoun said. After finals, he and his friends spend the holiday season shopping, catching the latest flicks, and making road trips to New York and California.
'Here we celebrate the holidays differently,' he said 'They''re spent getting together with friends, saying prayers, eating. We make a lot of food. We''ll play games with kids, give them toys and watch movies in Arabic about things back home.'
Further east, four-day New Year celebrations replace Christmas as the cultural center of the holiday season, said 29-year-old BYU alumnus Masami Patten.
Although many of her friends and neighbors in the main-island city of Takasaki celebrate Christmas as a non-religious holiday, the New Years season stems from a more ancient cultural heritage.
Japanese families celebrate the holiday with special foods, games and family gatherings. They decorate house entrances and cars with pine bamboo and plum trees. Many individuals send New Year greeting cards to friends, relatives and co-workers.
On Dec. 31, Japanese families clean their homes from windowsill to doorknob in a traditional attempt to fill the house with luck and ward of evil spirits. The families then gather at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines to make wishes, say prayers and listen to the great bells ring 108 times in temples and shrines throughout the country. Tradition has it that the bells drive away the 108 evil thoughts in Buddhism.
'It''s part of the culture, whether or you believe it or not,' Patten said. 'They''re a family centered people and New Years day is a good chance to get together. They appreciate, not just the festivity, but the chance to care for and see one another.
Paul Warner, an associate professor of Ancient Scripture, said in his role as BYU Chaplain, he meets and works with 300 students like Brudney, Almadhoun and Patten every year- students who come to BYU from a variety of beliefs and traditions.
The 70 students enrolled in his non-LDS Book of Mormon class represent 13 religions and 19 different countries.
'It''s an amazing group,' Warner said. 'A lot of them come to BYU because they want a good education, some are on scholarships for sports. Others have brothers or sisters that come here. It''s been really rewarding to see the commitment the young people have to BYU and to living the honor code.'
Warner said he is also impressed by his students'' appreciation for the kindness that people show them.
'When they talk about what they like about studying here, a lot of them mention safety,' Warner said. 'They appreciate that they''re safe here.'