At a time of rising antisemitism, ongoing conflicts and instability, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is ensuring Jewish communities worldwide can celebrate Chanukah, both in person and online, drawing strength from community and the holiday’s timeless messages of resilience and joy.
“As Jews around the world face difficult times, Chanukah reminds us how each community grows stronger when we share our light,” said JDC CEO Ariel Zwang.
JDC’s annual virtual Chanukah experience returns this year with a week of programs and performances, showcasing holiday traditions from Jewish communities worldwide. Highlights include a virtual event with cookbook author Leah Koenig, who will explore the culinary heritage of Rome’s Jewish community, the oldest outside of the Middle East.
Author of seven cookbooks, including PORTICO: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen (winner of the 2024 IACP International Cookbook Award), she will join JDC on Dec. 18 at noon Eastern Standard Time for a cooking demo featuring a classic Roman Jewish Chanukah treat.
Follow along on JDC’s social-media channels (Facebook @THEJDC, Instagram @JDCJOINT, LinkedIn @JDC) through Dec. 22 at noon EST each day (Saturday after sundown) to celebrate Chanukah with JDC and Koenig.
Holiday Around the World
Across the former Soviet Union, Chanukah will be celebrated by some of the most vulnerable communities. In Moldova, activities at Jewish community centers and Hesed social service centers include a Shabbat and Chanukah celebration, as well as volunteers delivering holiday packages and greeting cards created by Active Jewish Teens, a JDC and BBYO program, to vulnerable Hesed clients. In Georgia, a community-wide celebration in Tbilisi will bring together about 300 people, including families, young adults and the elderly.
In Israel, JDC’s Mashiv Haruach (“Restoring the Spirit”) program is helping frontline communities celebrate the “Festival of Lights” while continuing recovery from the war. In the north, Karmiel will host public menorah-lightings and intergenerational activities to foster connections and help residents feel secure.
In Nahariya, community volunteers and their families will gather for lighting candles and children’s activities in the healing setting of the Botanical Garden. In the south, residents of Ofakim’s Mishor HaGefen neighborhood will light the first Chanukah candle with families who lost loved ones on Oct. 7, 20233, and Ashkelon will unite neighbors nightly through its Ner Mechaber (“Connecting Candle”) initiative.
In India, 200 members of the Jewish community in Mumbai will gather for the annual Khai Fest, a Chanukah celebration with performances, menorah-lighting and fundraising to help the vulnerable—all organized by their youth group, Jewish Youth Pioneers, in partnership with JDC.
In Europe, JDC is supporting Chanukah celebrations, strengthening Jewish life and community cohesion. The Jewish community in Sofia, Bulgaria, will gather for a celebration that includes lighting the first candle of the menorah in the main synagogue. JDC-supported Jewish schools will host student and family programs throughout the festival week. The JDC-supported JCC in Warsaw will join with the city’s Jewish organizations on the first night of Chanukah to celebrate and light the menorah together at the Nożyk Synagogue. Other activities include a Chanukah cooking workshop led by a JDC Entwine fellow, and a holiday party for children and teens.
