US EditionWhat to Know About Hanukkah and How It’s Celebrated
Hanukkah honors an ancient Jewish military victory and a miracle of oil while modern Zionists emphasize national heroism and rabbis focus on spiritual meaning and family traditions.
- On Dec. 14, 2025, Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival, begins at sundown and runs through Dec. 22, when Jewish families and communities celebrate with gifts and traditional foods.
- Anciently, the holiday marks the Second Temple's rededication in 164 B.C.E. after Judean forces retook it from Seleucid control, leading to the Hasmonean dynasty remembered in the Books of the Maccabees.
- The ritual centers on nightly menorah lighting over eight nights on a Hanukkah menorah with eight branches and a shamash, recalling the Talmud's oil miracle and latkes fried in oil.
- Zionists remade Hanukkah into a central nationalist festival emphasizing military heroism, while Orthodox and ultra‑Orthodox leaders protested, accusing Zionists of desanctifying the holiday as seen in the 1900 Sanz, Poland outcry.
- Public menorah lightings in city streets and parks have grown across the Jewish diaspora in America and Europe, sparking debates among young liberal Jews and ultra‑Orthodox Jews amid Gaza Strip and West Bank tensions.
49 Articles
49 Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
What to know about Hanukkah and how it’s celebrated
Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
Hanukkah celebrates both an ancient military victory and a miracle of light—modern Jews can pick from either tradition
Friends and family will come together to celebrate, share gifts and eat traditional foods as the eight-day Jewish festival of Hanukkah begins on Dec. 14, 2025.
The Conversation
Hanukkah celebrates both an ancient military victory and a miracle of light – modern Jews can pick from either tradition
Zionists draw on the military imagery of Hanukkah, while others look to the synagogue prayers that focus on the miracle of divine light.
Hanukkah and the long-term value of short-term thinking
It’s a cold wintry night in Jerusalem about 2,000 years ago. You and your friend are celebrating the first night of this relatively newfangled “Hanukkah” holiday together. You kindle your oil lamp and beam proudly. One light burning through the darkness. Your friend looks back, confused. “Aren’t you going to light the others?” Now you’re confused. “What others? It’s the first night.” “Right,” he says. “But we do mehadrin min hamehadrin — extra e…
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