Way too many years ago, I went to an interfaith seminary, and trained to be an interfaith minister. It’s one accomplishment I’m very proud of, though I also think I learned as much or more by interning with a UCC minister friend for a year. We studied many different faiths, and how they interact. While I, myself, am quite pagan, I do understand different faiths call to different people. I rather like the idea that various gods have “their” people. G-d (the Jewish deity) called the Jews to be his people, and gave them Commandments, instructions, and information… much of which they didn’t pay as much attention to as they should have. A lot of their rituals and celebrations honor the folks who got them out of messes that their religious indiscretions got them into.
Hanukkah is not a big religious festival for the Jews. It was a minor one, until Christmas became so commercialized and messed with the Jewish kids. So now Jewish kids get presents as well as gelt, and some of the more pagan aspects of Christmas have snuck into Hanukkah celebrations. It’s all good. Winter is a time of darkness, and whether you celebrate the Birth of the Sun, the Birth of the Son, or the Miracle of the Lights, it’s all about warding off the darkness (albeit in very different ways).
This Hanukkah is different, though. Way too many of my Jewish friends (and I have a surprising number of them) are afraid this year. They have watched too many of their fellow Jews be slaughtered, and very few criminals being brought to justice. They’ve heard too many people on the Left calling for their extermination, or celebrating those who harm Israel. They’re not celebrating Hanukkah this year. They’re lighting those eight lights over eight nights because it’s a mitzvah, a … “a helping.” They are putting the light back into the world, in whatever way they can. Lighting the Hanukkiah and singing Ma’oz Tzur are acts of peace, but also acts of rebellion against the violence they are seeing.
For those who may not know, the history of Hanukkah, in short:
Hanukkah’s history centers on the 2nd century BCE Maccabean Revolt, where Jewish fighters led by Judah Maccabee reclaimed Jerusalem’s Second Temple from Greek-Syrian oppressors who had desecrated it. After retaking the Temple, they cleansed it and rededicated it, but found only a tiny cruse of oil, which miraculously burned for eight days instead of one. This “miracle of the oil” established the eight-day “Festival of Lights,” celebrating Jewish perseverance, religious freedom, and divine presence. — Grok
My family and I have celebrated Hanukkah every year since I was in seminary. The act of lighting the candles, sitting quietly in the dark, being a family… these have become important to us, even though we’re not Jewish.
In speaking on Hanukkah and the “war on Christmas,” a Jewish friend (not sharing names) said:
“But this year, it feels like an insult, because this year there has been an actual global war on the Jews. Over the course of the holiday and the week preceding it, there have been (by my count) six violent attacks against Jewish communities in at least three different countries resulting in at least sixteen deaths. I am certain that my count is low and there have been other incidents that have flown under my radar.
“Jews are genuinely afraid to be Jewish in public and the events of the last two weeks have proven that these fears are not imagined. What’s more, we know our history, we know that this has happened before, and we know that, in the past, it has only gotten worse from here. Much worse.
“Frankly, to say we are afraid doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
This is a friend who has eaten with my fair family (because vegan food is, by its nature, kosher and therefore safe for practicing Jews). He’s sat at my fire. He’s sung songs and shared laughter with us. He’s an incredibly good person. And he’s afraid. He isn’t the only one. This is a theme amongst those who are Jewish this year, this fear to be “Jewish in public.”
This is one of the reasons I light the Hanukkah candles each year. By doing it, respectfully and prayerfully, I am normalizing it. I am making it so that the Bad Guys don’t know who’s Jewish and who’s just enjoying the prayerful time. I’m showing support and love for my Jewish friends.
I only managed to grab pics of the first three nights. I’ve been busy and spending time with family rather than taking photos. But here are the pics of 1, 2, and 3.
Remember, once we hit the 21st, the days (very slowly) start getting longer. The Longest Night is almost over. Let the bright lights of hope, love, and faith shine out into the world. Protect the faithful of all good and positive religions as they celebrate the Sun, the Son, or the Light. 🙂
Merry Yule!
To add a bit of context to the Hanukkah explanation: IIRC, under the Jewish tradition, consecrating the oil to be used for lighting the temple is a week-long process; it’s not that they didn’t have other oil, it’s that they didn’t have consecrated oil suitable for temple use. When the Maccabees reclaimed the temple, that small flask of already-consecrated oil they found was only enough to light the lamps for one night, after which they would have no light. The miracle is that they lit the lamps anyway, and that one night’s worth of lamp oil kept the lights going for eight nights, allowing the Maccabees to prepare and consecrate a fresh batch and keep the lamps burning.
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To put that in perspective, imagine needing to make a 300-mile drive to your family’s holiday celebration, but your car’s fuel gauge is already on ‘E’ and the pumps are all closed. You set out anyway, and not only do you make the trip and pull into the driveway right on time, you have just enough fuel left over to get to the pump when it opens the next morning.