European capitals celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights

The Jewish religious holiday, Hanukkah, also known as the festival of lights, officially began on Wednesday evening. This year’s Hanukkah festival coincides with Christmas Day for only the fifth time since 1900.

Hanukkah means “dedication”, and the holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC, after a small group of Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying forces.

The festival is eight days long as with the tiny supply of ritually pure oil the Jewish fighters found in the temple, they lit the menorah and it stayed lit for eight days.

Now, on eight consecutive night falls, Jews observing the festival all over the world gather with family and friends to light one candle each night in a menorah.

The candle lighting must take place after night fall as the purpose of the practice is to bring light into darkness.

The ritual of lighting a nightly candle as well as cooking foods in oil, like potato pancakes known as ‘latkes’, memorialises this miraculously long-lasting oil. The dates of the holiday are based on the Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually coincides with November-December in the Gregorian calendar.

Hanukkah celebrations in Ukraine

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met on Wednesday with a delegation of rabbis.

The Ukrainian leader participated in the candle lighting ceremony administered by Chief Rabbi of Dnipro Shmuel Kaminetsky.

“The battle between light and darkness continues. We see that thanks to you, the axis of evil is becoming much weaker, and we will soon defeat it. We will light these candles and hope that the Almighty will help us, and we will pray with everyone to see great miracles soon,” said Kaminetsky addressing Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy congratulated the Jewish community on the holiday and thanked them for their prayers for Ukraine and Ukrainians.

In a statement released by the Ukrainian Presidency, Zelenskyy said, “Thank you for being in Ukraine and supporting everyone. We have a unique country – today we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah. It is very good that in Ukraine we can all live together, fighting the darkness with the light that we have”.

Zelenskyy was tasked with lighting the first candle in the menorah. He noted that the menorah being used in the ceremony was presented to him last year by Argentina’s President Javier Milei who was inaugurated during the fourth day of 2023’s Hanukkah.

Ukraine also marked the occasion by installing the largest Hanukkah in Europe in Kyiv’s popular Independence Square.

Germany

Germany also celebrated the Jewish holiday in style. A giant menorah was hoisted in front of Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate on Monday.

“This year we are standing together. And this year we also want to send a message that we are not forgetting the hostages who are unfortunately still hidden in the dark tunnels of Hamas. And we very much hope that when we light the candle this coming Sunday, on 29 December at 16:00, that by then the hostages will already be free,” said Yehuda Teichtal, Rabbi of the Jewish community in Berlin.

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who participated in candle lighting ceremonies the last two consecutive years, posted a message on X, formerly Twitter, to celebrate with the German Jewish community.

“The Hanukkah menorahs in our cities represent hope in dark times,” said Scholz.

“At the Brandenburg Gate, in the heart of Berlin, it stands next to a Christmas tree. I am happy about this symbol: Judaism is a solid, irreplaceable part of us. Happy holidays to you all!”