In a calendar oddity, Hanukkah begins on Christmas this year

Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday where candles are lit for eight days, begins this year on the day of Christmas, which it has only happened four times since 1900. For some rabbis, the coincidence of the two religious holidays is a ripe occasion for interfaith engagement.

“This can be a profound opportunity for learning, collaboration and togetherness,” said Rabbi Josh Stanton, vice president of the Jewish Federations of North America, who oversees interfaith initiatives involving the 146 local and regional Jewish federations his organization represents.

“The objective is not to proselytize; is to learn deeply from each other,” he pointed out. “It’s about others seeing you how you see yourself.”

One example of coming together: a party called Chicanukah hosted Thursday night by several Jewish organizations in Houston, which brought together members of the city’s Latino and Jewish communities for a “cross-cultural holiday celebration.” The place: the Houston Holocaust Museum.

The food offered was a mix of the two cultures. For example, a bar of latkes—fried potato pastries—with guacamole, chili con queso, and pico de gallo, as well as applesauce and sour cream. And the donut pastries were sufganiots—a Hanukkah specialty—and beignets. A mariachi band performed the Jewish folk song “Hava Nagila.”

“What really brings us together is our shared values: our faith, our families, our heritage,” 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, reported that the first Chicanukah event, 12 years ago, attracted 20 people, while this year the crowd was around 300. and could have been higher if attendance had not been limited. He added that the partygoers were a roughly even mix of Latinos — some of them Jews of Latin American origin — and “Anglo” Jews.

“There is too much hatred, too much separation against both Jews and Latinos”Tarlow said. “This is a way we can come together and show that we support each other.”

Although Hanukkah is intended to be a joyful and festive holiday, rabbis note that this year it is being celebrated amid ongoing conflicts involving Israeli forces in the Middle East and fears over widespread incidents of anti-Semitism.

Why is Hanukkah celebrated so late this year?

The answer is simple: The Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles and is not synchronized with the Gregorian calendar, which sets Christmas on December 25. Hanukkah always begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, a date that occurs between the end of November and the end of December in the Gregorian calendar.

The last time Hanukkah began on Christmas Day was in 2005, but the term “Chrismukkah,” meaning the overlap of the two holidays, was already popular before then. The term gained further popularity in 2003, when Seth Cohen, a character on the television series “The OC,” adopted the holiday fusion as a tribute to his Jewish father and Protestant mother.

This season, the Hallmark Channel released a Christmas movie called “Leah’s Perfect Gift,” which shows a young Jewish girl who has admired Christmas from afar and gets the chance to experience it up close when her boyfriend finds her. invites you to spend the holidays with your family. Spoiler alert: not everything goes smoothly.

Although these stories suggest a fascination with Christmas among some Jews, Stanton reported that Jewish Federations research reveals an increase in Jews seeking deeper connections to their own traditions and community, as well as a increase in Jews volunteering for charitable activities during the holidays.

“The opportunity is to share with others how we celebrate Hanukkah”said. “It is a celebration of freedom, hope, of proudly showing that you are Jewish.”