Hanukkah, , begins this year on Christmas Day, which has only happened four times since 1900.
For some rabbis, the intersection of the two religious holidays provides an auspicious occasion for interfaith engagement.
鈥淭his can be a profound opportunity for learning and collaboration and togetherness,鈥� said Rabbi Josh Stanton, a vice president of the Jewish Federations of North America. He oversees interfaith initiatives involving the 146 local and regional Jewish federations that his organization represents.
鈥淭he goal is not proselytizing; it's learning deeply from each other,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 others seeing you as you see yourself.鈥�
One example of togetherness: a Chicanukah party hosted Thursday evening by several Jewish organizations in Houston, bringing together members of the city鈥檚 Latino and Jewish communities for a 鈥渃ross cultural holiday celebration." The venue: Houston鈥檚 Holocaust museum.
The food on offer was a blend of the two cultures 鈥� for example a bar featuring guacamole, chili con queso and pico de gallo, as well as applesauce and sour cream. The doughnut-like pastries were 鈥� a Hanukkah specialty 鈥� and bu帽uelos, And the mariachi band took a crack at playing the Jewish folk song 鈥淗ava Nagila.鈥�
鈥淲hat really brings us together is our shared values 鈥� our faith, our families, our heritage,鈥� said Erica Winsor, public affairs officer for the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston.
Rabbi Peter Tarlow, executive director of the Houston-based Center for Latino-Jewish Relations, said the first Chicanukah event 12 years ago drew 20 people, while this year the crowd numbered about 300, and could have been larger had not attendance been capped. He said the party-goers were a roughly even mix of Latinos 鈥� some of them Jews with Latin American origins 鈥� and 鈥淎nglo鈥� Jews.
鈥淭here鈥檚 too much hate, too much separation against both Jews and Latinos,鈥� Tarlow said. 鈥淭his is a way we can come together and show we support each other.鈥�
While Hanukkah is intended as an upbeat, celebratory holiday, rabbis note that it鈥檚 taking place this year amid continuing conflicts involving Israeli forces in the Middle East, and apprehension over widespread .
Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, acknowledged that many Jews may be feeling anxious heading into Hanukkah this year. But he voiced confidence that most would maintain the key tradition: the lighting of candles on menorah candelabras and displaying where they鈥檙e visible through household windows and in public spaces.
鈥淭he posture of our community 鈥� without stridency, just with determination 鈥� is that the menorah should be in our windows, in a place where the public sees it,鈥� Hauer said.
鈥淚t is less for us, the Jewish community, than for the world,鈥� he added. 鈥淲e have to share that light. Putting the menorah in the window is our expression of working to be a light among the nations.鈥�
Hauer concurred with Stanton that this year鈥檚 overlap of Hanukkah and Christmas is 鈥渁n exceptional opportunity to see and experience the diversity of America and the diversity of its communities of faith.鈥�
Rabbi Motti Seligson, public relations director for the Hasidic movement Chabad-Lubavitch, noted that this year marks the 50th anniversary of a milestone in the public lightings of menorahs. It was on Dec. 8, 1974 鈥� as part of an initiative launched by the Lubavitcher leader, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson 鈥� that a menorah was lit outside Philadelphia鈥檚 Independence Hall, where the Liberty Bell was housed at the time.
"Hanukkah is a celebration of religious liberty, so that it鈥檚 not taken for granted,鈥� Seligson said. 鈥淥ne of the ways of doing that is by celebrating it publicly.鈥�
He said Chabad was organizing about 15,000 public menorah lightings this year through its numerous branches around the world.
鈥淭here certainly is some apprehension,鈥� Seligson said, referring to concerns about antisemitism and political friction. 鈥淪ome people question whether Jews will be celebrating as openly as in the past.鈥�
鈥淲hat I鈥檓 hearing is there鈥檚 no way that we can鈥檛,鈥� he added. 鈥淭he only way through these difficult times is by standing stronger and prouder and shining brighter than ever.鈥�
Stanton concurred.
鈥淭hrough our history, we鈥檝e been through moments that are easy and moments that are hard,鈥� he said. 鈥淪afety for us does not come from hiding. It comes from reaching out.鈥�
Why is Hanukkah so late this year? The simple answer is that the Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles, and is not in sync with the Gregorian calendar which sets Christmas on Dec. 25. Hanukkah always begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, a date which occurs between late November and late December on the Gregorian calendar.
The last time Hanukkah began on Christmas Day was in 2005. But the term 鈥淐hrismukkah鈥� 鈥� signifying the overlap of the two holidays 鈥� had become a popular term before then. The term gained extra currency in 2003, when the character Seth Cohen on the TV drama 鈥淭he O.C.鈥� embraced the fusion holiday as a tribute to his Jewish father and Protestant mother.
This season, the Hallmark Channel introduced a new Christmas movie called 鈥淟eah鈥檚 Perfect Gift,鈥� depicting a young Jewish woman who had admired Christmas from a distance, and gets a chance to experience it up close when her boyfriend invites her to spend the holidays with his family. Spoiler alert: All does not go smoothly.
Despite such storylines suggesting a fascination with Christmas among some Jews, Stanton says research by the Jewish Federations reveals a surge in Jews seeking deeper connections to their own traditions and community, as well as a surge in Jews volunteering for charitable activities during the holidays.
鈥淭he opportunity is to share with others how we celebrate Hanukkah,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a holiday of freedom, hope, showing proudly you are Jewish.鈥� ___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP鈥檚 with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
David Crary, The Associated Press
