Hanukkah worldwide, lifeline to a shared Jewish heritage

JTA — 2015 may be the year of the anti-Hanukkah think piece.

“It has become a blue and white kaleidoscope of vague Jewishness, one that tacitly enables Christmas-style material excess,” writes Emma Green in the Atlantic.

“The Festival of Lights, pleasant as it is, is a minor celebration of a band of violent, nut-job religious fanatics that was elevated to prominence because of its time of year,” Sarah Seltzer writes in Flavorwire.

But while the “value” of Hanukkah is analyzed and dissected in the US, for many across the globe, the holiday is a lifeline to a shared Jewish heritage that is not particularly present in their countries’ everyday cultures.

Michael Freund, the founder and chairman of Shavei Israel, a nonprofit that works to reconnect ancient communities around the world with their Jewish heritage, described this in talking about the 1,000 or so strong Jewish community of Kaifeng, China.

“After centuries of assimilation, a growing number of Kaifeng’s Jews have begun seeking to return to their roots and embrace their Jewish identity,” Freund said in a press release. “The Chinese Jews take their inspiration from the Maccabees.”

Below are photos of Hanukkah celebrations from across the world — some from unexpected places.

Churachandpur, India

Members of the Bnei Menashe Jewish community from across northeastern India gather in Churachandpur, in the state of Manipur, to celebrate Hanukkah on Dec. 8, 2015. (Shavei Israel)

Members of the Bnei Menashe Jewish community celebrating Hanukkah in Churachandpur on Dec. 8, 2015. (Shavei Israel)

Kaifeng, China

A few dozen of the 1,000 or so Jews in Kaifeng, in eastern China, gathered to celebrate on the first night of Hanukkah, Dec. 6, 2015. (Shavei Israel)

Some members of the Jewish community in Kaifeng on the first night of Hanukkah, Dec. 6, 2015. (Shavei Israel)

Berlin, Germany

Children light torches at the ceremony of the Hanukkah menorah lighting at a public Menorah in Berlin, Germany. (Carsten Koall/Getty Images)

San Salvador, El Salvador

A family celebrating Hanukkah this week in San Salvador, El Salvador. (Shavei Israel)

Belmonte, Portugal

A Portuguese family celebrating the holiday earlier this week in Belmonte, home to the country’s remaining population of Marrano Jews. (Shavei Israel)

Krakow, Poland

Lighting menorahs earlier this week in Krakow, Poland. (Shavei Israel)