Celebrating Gay Hanukkah

December 26, 2024
ALEXANDER

Celebrating Gay Hanukkah

In rare form, Hanukkah began on Christmas Day and will be celebrated through January 2nd. Christmas and Hanukkah have only coincided four times since 1900. Many have taken this as a sign to come together, with interfaith fellowship and understanding, especially as our nation has been pretty split due to the election. There's even the term Chrismukkah that has become popular. Even Hallmark had a Christmas movie about an interfaith relationship. Religion still tends to be a thorn for many of the queer community, where rules and Scripture has often been used to target and ostracize LGBTQ followers. There have been changes in many faiths, including Judaism, that have welcomed us back into the fold and have established inclusive congregations and clergy. But just how gay can Hanukkah be?

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Hanukkah is seen as one of the more well-known holidays in the nation and is an eight-day festival that reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem in 165 BC by the lighting of candles every day. Gifts are given to commemorate the holiday. Hanukkah is seen as a celebration of religious freedom and the ability to practice Judaism, which was not the top religion at the time. From the queer perspective, it can also represent our freedom, our strong voice, and our ability to overcome oppression. The lighting of the menorah is literally bringing our light to the world, and being seen.

For some gay Jews, the holiday can be seen as an opportunity for us to come out to our family. Gay activist Harvey Milk has Jewish and urged the queer Jewish community to come out to their loved ones, "Gay brothers and sisters, you must come out. Come out to your parents. I know that it is hard and will hurt them, but think about how they will hurt you in the voting booth! Come out to your relatives. Come out to your friends, if indeed they are your friends. Come out to your neighbors, to your fellow workers, to the people who work where you eat and shop. Come out only to the people you know, and who know you, not to anyone else. But once and for all, break down the myths. Destroy the lies and distortions. For your sake. For their sake."

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Food is a big part of the Jewish holiday culture. Queer folk from the Jewish community often take this opportunity to host friends - regardless of religion - for fellowship, taking the moment to not only feed their friends but to share elements of their religious culture. Hanukkah is about a light that doesn't go out, and joining our queer community together to also celebrate our light makes sense. It is an opportunity to share stories around the table.

Keshet is a national resource available to the queer Jewish community that works towards the full equality of all LGBTQ Jews and families in Jewish life. The organization strengthens Jewish communities and equips Jewish organizations with "the skills and knowledge to build LGBTQ-affirming communities, create spaces in which all queer Jewish youth feel seen and valued, and advance LGBTQ rights nationwide." There are also synagogues that are specifically LGBTQ-friendly or even LGBTQ-centric.

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The majority of Reform Judaic communities are welcoming, inclusive, and affirming, and a number of congregations have policies regarding discrimination based on sexual orientation. They have also been welcoming to the trans community, allowing for the ordination of trans rabbis. The religious culture is changing, probably because it has to in order to keep their numbers and meet the needs of an open-minded younger generation.