Editor’s note: This is the first in a three-part series examining religion’s role in student life.

Adam Sandler, Billy Crystal, David Lee Roth and Harvey Keitel all have something in common that has nothing to do with Hollywood. They all are Jewish.

Hanukkah, “the festival of lights,” which started Saturday and lasts for eight days, commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its destruction. The celebration also reaffirms the continuing struggle to live by God’s commandments and to lead Jewish lives.

Hanukkah is a minor Jewish holiday, and some think it has been commercialized because it’s near Christmas.

“It’s more of a cultural thing than a religious thing,” said Ellie Trefz, a sophomore speech pathology/audiology major and co-president of the NIU Hillel Student Organization.

The major Jewish holidays are Passover, Yom Kippur and Roshashana.

“Religion is becoming less of a priority in the lives of people,” said David Leichter, a philosophy graduate student.

Since the Jewish Sabbath falls on Friday night and lasts until Saturday, college kids are put in a very complex situation. Do they go to the bars and drink, or go to the synagogue and celebrate their faith?

“Making the decision between partying and God is hard for some students,” Trefzsaid. “It’s hard to find a happy medium between religious practices and social life.”

Some students start to fall away from Judaism through assimilation and by questioning their faith.

“What does an event that happened 25,000 years ago have to do with me?” Leichter said.

Jews also can choose to “retain their Jewish identity, or to become part of worldly culture,” he said.

Leichter said those who choose not to follow Judaism tend to flock to other faiths.

“[Jews] show an interest in eastern religions like Buddhism and Taoism, in particular,” Leichter said.

NIU has more than 150 Jewish students, but no more than 10 at a time show up to an event, said Dara Rubinson, co-president of NIU Hillel. The reason for this is because Jewish students, like most other college students, work or do something that they have to do to stay in school.

Hillel can be a valuable asset to Jewish students on campus, Trefz said.

“It’s nice to have the support of other Jews … so you can talk about your religion and have other Jews supporting you,” Trefz said.