Giving thanks for holiday overlap
Chicago-area rabbis see parallels between Hanukkah and Thanksgiving, which coincide Thursday for the first time in more than a century.
Chicago-area rabbis see parallels between Hanukkah and Thanksgiving, which coincide Thursday for the first time in more than a century, and their flocks are pleased with what is seen as a once-in-a-lifetime experience and teachable moment.
“The military victory which is celebrated by Hanukkah is about the right of the Jewish people to worship as Jews and not be forced to participate in the culture of the time,” said Rabbi Yochanan Posner of Lubavitch Chabad of Skokie.
“Thanksgiving celebrates the success of the Pilgrims in coming to a new country. They came here seeking religious freedom.
“Both holidays are about religious freedom and the right to worship as every individual chooses.”
Highland Park resident Shira Schwartz, the mother of children ages 9, 11 and 13, said it’s nice to be able to share those similarities with her children.
“I’m always looking for the teachable moment,” she said. “This gives a chance to teach a lost meaning of Thanksgiving. It’s not just about eating turkey and going shopping.
“As a Jew living in America, it’s nice to be able to celebrate, to feel American” while also celebrating their Jewish heritage and observing Jewish traditions, added Schwartz, a member of Highland Park-based North Suburban Synagogue Beth El.
Both holidays are about redemption, said Rabbi Michael Schwab, of North Suburban.
“Thanksgiving is a celebration and a redemption; troubled people came from across the ocean,” he said. “They settled here and found bounty and looked forward to a brighter future.
“Hanukkah talks about bringing hope and about redemption. The Israelites were oppressed, and they rose up and were able to re-establish themselves,” Schwab said.
Ali Drumm, who is hosting Thanksgiving dinner for about two dozen family members at her Highland Park home, is looking forward to sharing both holidays.
“We’ll be lighting Hanukkah candles the same night as our Thanksgiving feast,” she said. “One of the commandments that we have around Hanukkah is to help publicize the miracle of the holiday. Having so many people over for Thanksgiving is going to allow more people to understand and share the holiday with us. I feel great about that.”
Hanukkah celebrates the Jews’ defeat of a Syrian Greek army more than 21 centuries ago and their reclaiming of their Holy Temple. When the victors sought to light the temple’s candelabrum, called a menorah, they only had enough specially prepared oil to last one day. But the candelabrum burned for eight days — the time it took to prepare new oil.
During the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah, also know as the festival of lights, a single flame of the candelabrum is lit the first night, followed by two the second night until all eight burn on the eighth night.
Thanksgiving this year falls on the second night of Hanukkah. Hanukkah, which often falls in early or mid-December, is based on the Jewish calendar, which differs from the Western calendar.
Thanksgiving coincided with Hanukkah in 1888 and 1899, and another overlap is not forecast until 2070, according to Jewish website Chabad. org.