H.E. OREN DAVID, Ambassador of Israel to the Holy See
This year the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah coincides with Christmas, two festivals of light that bring joy and happiness at the beginning of winter.
This pleasant coincidence occurs at the end of a very important and special year. We celebrated the 25th anniversary of the establishment of relations between Israel and the Holy See with a concert of sacred Jewish music at the Tempio Maggiore in Rome and with the joint issue of a stamp depicting the Church of St. Peter and the Synagogue, both in Capernaum, as a symbol of the special relationship between Judaism and Christianity.
Hanukkah is a festival that commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Greek-Syrians in the II Century B.C.
It is a recurrence instituted to celebrate the purification and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem that had been desecrated by the Greek-Syrian rulers who did not accept the refusal of the Jews to welcome pagan gods into their rites and prayers.
Not all the Jews of the time rejected every aspect of Greek culture, but they also wanted to defend their own cultural specificity, which in some way, coincided with the strictly monotheistic religion.
Antiochus IV, the ruler of the time, did not accept this desire for freedom on the part of a people who were not very numerous and, therefore, facing the strong rejection of Greek idolatry, he chose a violent and persecutory attitude to strike at the heart of the Jewish faith and thus destroy it.
The Jews of the time, therefore, decided to fight for freedom and for the monotheistic faith and, against all expectations, the few won against the many and the Temple, which had been profaned, was liberated.
To return the Temple to the faithful it was necessary to re-consecrate it with the lighting of the Temple Candelabra, which should never be extinguished. Nevertheless, the only oil left could burn for only one day, and it would take eight days to prepare more.
Despite the risk of the flame going out, it was decided not to wait and immediately reconsecrate the Temple. It is here that the miracle takes place: the oil burns for as long as it takes to prepare the new one.
It is precisely in memory of these events that the feast of Hanukkah - which in Hebrew means rededication or inauguration - lasts eight days.
Jewish families all over the world during the days of the festival light the candles in their homes, one more each day using a special nine-branched candelabra called Hanukkiah.
On the first evening, the shamash - the candle that is used to light all the other lights - is kindled, and then the first candle, accompanying the rite with a blessing.
On the second night, the shamash and two candles are lit and so on until, on the last night, the whole candle holder will shine bright with a light that should not be used to illuminate a place. They are sacred thanksgiving lights. In fact during the kindling it is said:
“We kindle these lights to commemorate the miracles and wonders and the saving acts that You have performed for our forefathers, in those days at this time, by Your holy priests. And all throughout the eight days of Hanukkà these lights are holy, and we are not permitted to make use of them, but only to behold them, in order to offer thanks and praise to Your great Name for Your miracles, for Your wonders and for Your salvation.”
It is traditional to light the lights near the window so that they can be seen, to enjoy them and to evoke not only the sacredness of life but also the importance of the ideals for which we live.
The triumph of the Maccabees over the Greek-Syrians is a very important historical event because it has ensured the survival of Jewish monotheism and, consequently of all monotheisms.
Without this victory the world would have been very different.
Pope John Paul II accurately defined the deep bond and affinity between our two faiths by saying that: "The Jewish religion is not 'extrinsic', but in a certain way, it is" intrinsic to our religion".
It is particularly symbolic that the Books of the Maccabees, which are not an integral part of the Jewish Bible, are part of the Catholic and Orthodox Bible and describe events that are celebrated by Jews all over the world.
Pope Francis on several occasions recalled the Jewish roots of Christianity and therefore clearly said that: "A Christian cannot be anti-Semitic. Our roots are common. It would be a contradiction of faith and life".
Recently, at the General Audience on November 13, speaking of anti-Semitism, he recalled that: "this is neither human nor Christian. Jews are our brothers! And they should not be persecuted. Understood?"
These are important words because unfortunately we are living in a historical period in which the phenomenon of anti-Semitism is constantly growing all over the world at an unprecedented level since the end of the Second World War.
Therefore, in the current historical period, Hanukkah takes on an even stronger and more important meaning.
At this time of celebration we hope that the lights of Hanukkah and Christmas can help dispel the darkness and guide us towards a future of mutual knowledge, relationships, peace and friendship between Jews and Catholics and among all members of the human community.