I’m 62 years old and I just heard about the Hanukkiah for the first time tonight on puppy dog pals. What the heck? How can I live my entire life and never have heard of this. I’ve been around plenty of Jewish people and we talked about Hanukkah plenty of times. I’ve known about the menorah. I’ve known about the dreidel. But I’ve never heard of the hanukkiah before tonight.
My wife, who has the nearest thing I’ve ever met to a photographic memory also had no knowledge of this term. She was born and raised in England I was born and raised in America. Neither of us lived in isolation.
What is going on?
Well, there are way fewer Jews than most people think. So, there’s actually a lower chance to hear from Jews about their customs and terminology than you’d expect. Not to mention, as others have pointed out, menorahs are more common as they are used in synagogues and symbols of Judaism throughout the year when it’s not Hannukah.