It’s a relatively rare occurrence, but this year December 25th is a big day for both Christians and Jewish people. Along with the traditions around Christmas and the birth of Jesus, Hanukkah begins Wednesday (25th), which is an eight-night celebration of the miracle of the oil, which is called the “festival of lights”.

Rabbi Claudio Jodorkovsky of Congregation Agudas Israel explains that Jews follow the calendar of the moon, so every year Hanukkah falls in a different time around December, but this year the two are occurring simultaneously. Although Hanukkah isn’t a big event in Jewish history traditionally, it has become an important holiday for celebrating Jewish life, according to Rabbi Jodorkovsky.

He says, “On one hand we have what our tradition mandates but on the other hand is how Jews celebrate our Jewish life, so in practice, it became an important holiday and for many Jews, it is in fact one of the most important holidays.” He believes the atmosphere of celebration toward the end of the year is something the religions have in common – ending the year in a good way.

Hanukkah is based on an historical event in the second century BCE when a small band of Jewish people defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth and were able to reclaim the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. When they lit the menorah, there was only enough oil for one day, but it lasted eight days, which is the amount of time it would have taken to make more of the pure oil.  Hence, the eight days of Hanukkah where an extra candle is lit each night, and eating food cooked in oil, traditionally doughnuts and latkes. Jodorkovsky says presents for the kids is also a tradition, time with family and friends and playing a dreidel game, which is a spinning top.

The Rabbi is hoping for a miracle for the present day – a cease fire and a return of the hostages in Israel. He says, “One of the things that we ask in Hanukkah is that miracles are repeated. The same miracles in the past, they can be repeated in our time. So, I think that’s our hope, that we also see miracles now in this time of the year and we can see peace in the Middle East.”