Both holidays invoke hope: Blending Hanukkah, Christmas, the secular and the religious

One young mother said to me, “We are not religious people and do not attend any church, yet we celebrate Christmas with the traditional family meals and Christmas tree along with presents for the family.”

Others who are religious quote to me Mathew chapter one, which says: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost … And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins” (verses 18 and 21).

The American Jewish community celebrates Hanukkah in secular and religious ways, too. There are Hanukkah parties and traditional foods (i.e. latkes — potato pancakes — and brisket and even jelly doughnuts) and presents each night of the eight nights of Hanukkah. Food is always critical toward telling the story of the holiday.

The Jews defeated the Greeks in 165 BCE and reestablished Jewish autonomy in the land of Judea. They rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem (Hanukkah means dedication) and lit the traditional Menorah or candelabra in the Temple.

So the story goes that there was only enough oil to light the Menorah for one night but it lasted, to the amazement of the priests in the Temple, a total of eight nights.

The story of Hanukkah is told in the Books of the Maccabees, which did not make it into the canon of the Hebrew Scriptures. First Maccabees was written in Hebrew and survived in a Greek translation, which relates the history of the Maccabees from 175 BCE until 134 BCE. The second book of Maccabees, which is a Greek abridgment of an earlier history in Hebrew, concentrates on the history of the Maccabees down to 161 BCE and focuses on Judah Maccabee.

In Judaism, Hanukkah is a relatively minor holiday, but because of Christmas it has taken on a much larger role in the minds and hearts of Jews in America.

Hanukkah is a holiday of freedom for the Jewish people and it has sustained Jewish hopes and pride over the centuries. Even today in the modern state of Israel, Hanukkah is a wonderful holiday of great joy and celebration.

Israel established its national sport games, like the Olympics, and called them the Maccabean Games. Whether one is secular or religious, Hanukkah evokes powerful images of national self-determination and the belief in the miracle of the lights, which lasted eight nights.

Both holidays invoke hope, but from completely different historic and theological contexts. I am grateful when my Christian friends wish we me a Happy Hanukkah. I wish them a spiritually uplifting and meaningful Christmas as well. Mutual respect and recognition always feels good.

Truthfully, whether we are religious or secular, we need this time of the year to come together to get over the things that divide us these days. Whether it be the divisive politics that consume our nation these days or personal family issues, these holidays are critical for the well-being of our national spirit and for our mental and spiritual health, even though they come out of different religious traditions.

I am also proud of the fact that Jewish Americans wrote some of the most beautiful Christmas songs, such as Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song” (“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire”). Or Irving Berlin, who wrote “White Christmas. “

How about ”It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” by Edward Pola and George Wyle. The classic tune ”Silver Bells” was composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. These are just a few examples of how American Jewish composers and American Jews in general have integrated into the mainstream of American culture.

Renown Christian singer Pat Boone, on the other hand, wrote the lyrics to the Hollywood blockbuster movie theme song “Exodus” (Ernest Gold wrote the music), which tells the story of the modern Jewish state of Israel. Even our Christian friends have contributed their talents and spirits on behalf of the Jewish people showing their love for the state of Israel.

The Christmas and Hanukkah holidays should bring out the gentle and peaceful inclinations in all of us. How we can celebrate each other’s religious rituals regardless of our faith tradition is another reason why America is unique.

I wish to all my Christian colleagues and friends an uplifting and meaningful Christmas, and I extend my heartfelt joy on this Hanukkah to the entire Jewish community in the South Carolina Lowcountry as well.

“What a wonderful world” it can be.