In 2013 the celebration coincided with Thanksgiving, or “Thanksgivukkah”.
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Josephus calls Hanukkah the “Festival of Lights”.
“Both of these holidays have light motifs in them, and they happen at the darkest time of year”.
“It was odd. I celebrated Jewish holidays by myself”, she said. When the Maccabees re-dedicated the temple, they could only find enough pure oil for one night.
Hanukkah means “dedication.” After the Maccabees overthrew Greek ruler, they re-dedicated the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, which they believed the Greeks had desecrated.
Hanukkah commemorates the victory of a small Jewish army that regained possession of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in 165 B.C.at the time of the Maccabean Revolt. “The priests had hidden some oil, but it would take eight days to retrieve it”.
“It’s a way of saying that, deep down, we share a lot of stuff, if you want to go that way”, Blech said.
Rabbi Laibel Blotner said the annual ceremony in Mesa should run for about an hour. “Today, we rededicate ourselves to making this world a better and brighter place”. “It’s always so much fun to appreciate each other and celebrate together with Aunt Pam’s famous brisket as the main meal”.
Volunteer Amy Lapidus-Pedram said the celebration holds even more significance right now because of the division among people in the country.
Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days beginning at sundown on December 24, 2016.
For these four young Jewish women a new Hanukkah tradition has been born here on the lower Eastside at Doughnut Plant.
Golding doesn’t think “Chrismukkah” changes either holiday.
Jessica Ridenour, of Emmitsburg, grew up in an interfaith family celebrating both holidays.
“The challenges are often that you have two sets of grandparents and competing family priorities”, he said. After she married her husband, John, who is Catholic, it was a seamless transition to continuing that tradition.
Over the years, they have added to their collection of decorations, both from themselves as well as family, friends and co-workers.
Traditional Hanukkah food – latkes, or potato pancakes, and donuts were sold.
Ian Spatz plans to light colorful Hanukkah candles and chant blessings with his family this evening while also enjoying Christmas Eve dinner at their Venice home. For many, it seems Christmas is the highlight of the year and for others it can be the absolute worst. But along with festive music and holiday treats, there was also a message of tolerance and peace.
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“In the Bible, God tells the Jewish people to look at the moon and count the days from there”, Blech said. They purified the temple. “To me, as a Jewish woman, I don’t see the tree as a Christmas symbol”.
