Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy participated in a special ceremony in Kyiv, where he joined a group of rabbis to light the first candle of Hanukkah. On the eve of the Jewish festival, the city unveiled the largest menorah in Europe to commemorate the occasion.
Hanukkah, also called the Festival of Lights, officially began on Wednesday evening. This year, the celebration coincided with Christmas Day, a rare alignment that only occurs once every several decades—marking the fifth such occurrence since 1900.
The holiday commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC, after it was liberated by Jewish fighters. Hanukkah lasts for eight days to honor the miracle of the menorah’s oil, which burned for eight days despite there being only enough oil for one.
During the festival, Jews worldwide light one candle each night of the menorah, starting after sunset. The practice symbolizes bringing light into the darkness and is accompanied by traditions like cooking latkes, potato pancakes fried in oil.
In Kyiv, Zelenskyy was joined by Chief Rabbi of Dnipro, Shmuel Kaminetsky, who conducted the candle lighting ceremony. Rabbi Kaminetsky spoke about the ongoing battle between light and darkness, expressing hope for miracles in the coming days. Zelenskyy thanked the Jewish community for their support of Ukraine, celebrating the unity of the nation during these challenging times. He noted that the menorah used in the ceremony had been a gift from Argentina’s President Javier Milei.
In addition to the ceremony, Kyiv marked the occasion by installing the largest Hanukkah menorah in Europe at Independence Square, underscoring the importance of the holiday for Ukraine.
Germany also celebrated Hanukkah with a giant menorah erected at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal of the Berlin Jewish community expressed hopes for the safe release of hostages still held by Hamas, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz shared a message of solidarity, emphasizing the importance of Jewish culture in German society.
