Key Points
- For the last week, Jews around the world have celebrated Hanukkah.
- Some have said they feel a stronger connection to the holiday this year.
- The festival encourages people to find the light.
Over the past week, Jews around the world have celebrated the holiday of Hanukkah and on Thursday Australian Jews will observe its last night.
Some Australian Jews have said they feel a greater connection to the story of Hanukkah this year in light of escalating violence in the Middle East and the Hamas-Israel war.
The festival encourages people to find the light in the dark and challenging times.
What is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of lights and commemorates one of the many periods in remembrance of Jewish suffering. In about 200 BC, Jewish people were banned by the Seleucid Greek empire from practising their faith.
Eventually, the Jewish people rebelled and forced the king and his soldiers out of the middle eastern territory which now includes Jerusalem. The Jews reclaimed the Second Temple in Jerusalem, which includes the Western Wall.
The temple was blessed and cleansed for re-dedication. But when it came to lighting the temple's seven-branched lamp, known as a menorah, there was only enough oil to last one night. However, the lamp burned for eight nights, according to Jewish belief.
The Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel is a remnant of the Second Jewish Temple. Source: AAP
When is Hanukkah celebrated?
Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.
The dates of Hanukkah this year are from 7 to 15 December, with the final night being Thursday 14 December.
In the Jewish calendar, Hanukkah is of relatively minor religious significance compared with the biblical festival of Passover or the holiest day of the Jewish year, Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).
Why is it celebrated?
"The idea of Hanukkah is that there is a little bit of light can penetrate complete darkness”, Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann of the Ark Centre in Melbourne's Hawthorn East explains.
"You’re supposed to bottle up that energy and that light and take it into the new year. "
How is it celebrated?
Hanukkah commemorates the survival of the Jewish people.
"They tried to kill us. We survived or beat them - let's eat!" said Michele Laloum, cantor (music leader) of the Temple Beth Israel Synagogue in St Kilda, Melbourne.
In the lead-up to the holiday, worshippers at synagogues will sing special Hanukkah songs.
"It’s a very fun holiday in general, we have a lot of parties and a lot of family time," said Maaryasha Werdger the owner of Zelda Bakery, a kosher bakery in Ripponlea, Melbourne.
Each night of Hanukkah, a candle on the (symbolic nine-branch) menorah is lit to symbolise the days the oil burned during the holy temple.
Throughout the eight days of Hanukkah, people typically eat oily or fried foods to symbolise the oil that was burnt. Some of the most common foods are potato latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (stuffed jelly donuts). It's also traditional to play dreidel, a game played with a small spinning top.
"It’s not a biblical holiday, it’s a rabbinical institute holiday - but it’s a beautiful holiday”, Kaltmann explains.
How is it different this year?
Since the 7 October attacks,
Both Kaltman and Laloum have noticed an uptake in people participating in Hanukkah events this year. "People are really leaning into it this year," Kaltmann said. "People that I don’t usually see…they’ve really celebrated."
