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Surprisingly, Jewish Hanukkah menorah now a favorite Irish Christmas tradition

By
CAHIR O'DOHERTY,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Friday, November 20, 2009, 1:43 PM
Updated Friday, November 20, 2009, 7:55 PM

 

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Irish Christians are fans of the menorah
Irish Christians are fans of the menorah

Finding Jews in Ireland is not an easy task. Of Ireland’s 4.4 million people, only 2,000 or so are Jewish.

But finding a menorah, the eight branched candle that celebrates Hanukkah – that’s a cinch.

For some reason, already lost in time and space, thousands of rural Irish homes have unwittingly adopted this famous candelabrum to celebrate – of all things – Christmas. It’s a festival of lights for sure, but somehow the Irish have followed them in an intriguingly new direction.

It was during the mid 1990s that the Irish craze for menorahs, one of the most enduring symbols of the Jewish faith and Israel, took off. Doubtless some enterprising Irish salesman with a hard neck or thing for irony brought them to the High Street where they were instantly snapped up.

Driving west from Dublin to Galway in December you can count them by the hundred now, shining out from the polished windows of Irish living rooms. Some feature candles, some electric lights, and all seem designed to perplex or mystify their Jewish neighbors who must shake their heads in wonder at the sight.

Irish Jews, it seems certain, will probably not respond to this accidental appropriation by putting up Christmas trees. Many Rabbis feel that a Christmas tree in a Jewish home, even one decorated with miniature dreidels, blurs the line in unproductive ways.

But Malcolm Lewis, President of the Progressive Jewish Congregation in Dublin, told IrishCentral that he wasn’t concerned.

“The President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, always puts a menorah in the window of Aras an Uachtarain, the President’s mansion, whenever Hanukkah arrives,” he said. “She also lights an advent candle as well.”

The symbolism of dispelling darkness with light transcends every faith and culture and Lewis is philosophical about the issue.

“Around about Christmas time you will see six or seven branch candles as decoration, call them what you will, but I don’t know if there’s any real significance to it or not. Maybe they just like the shape of it. If that’s the reason well that’s very nice.

“And don’t forget that Waterford Crystal (the famous Irish glass making company) makes a glass menorah. They run for about 700 to 800 dollars and so very few people have bought them I would imagine.”

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10 Comments

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Posted by jimmy12003 on Nov 24, 2009, 05:13 PM EST
things are going bad enough in ireland as a result of giving power to the wrong people! hopefully we can keep there numbers down here, as they cause enough trouble everywhere else in the world!
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Posted by jacersisityourself on Nov 22, 2009, 05:58 PM EST
Thanks to DrDerek for a nice bit’o Irish/Jewish history. I was vaguely aware of the story of Millisle in my childhood days. DrDerek’s contribution confirms that menorahs are symbols of celebration, which would of course include wine, bread (manna) and other. Of course, the McCabes still imbibe in all today.
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Posted by olovely on Nov 22, 2009, 04:09 PM EST
Mistake or not, Leopold Bloom would be delighted. This is a lovely story.
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Posted by DrDerek on Nov 22, 2009, 08:27 AM EST
I am an Irish Jew, it is not peculiar that Menorrahs are seen in Ireland. The tradition was born from the success of the revolution by the Maccabees ( perhaps the ancestors of the Mac Cabes...) from tyranny, they found oil sufficient for one day which lasted eight days, a miracle from G-d, hence the eight candles in the menorah, one added candle each day and the celebration of the festival of Channukah. Ireland is one of the few places on earth that has not ever had a Government edict against the Jews. In 1938-39 the Jews of Belfast bought a farm in Millisle, and got work permits from Chamberlin who would not allow Jews to escape the Nazis without these permits. Hundreds of Jews came to Millisle and were saved. My father was involved in helping set up the farm. All Ireland should be proud.
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Posted by Rebelforce on Nov 21, 2009, 11:10 AM EST
I heard Ronan Tynan, in addition to the Star of David yarmulke he's been wearing on his head , has 18 menorahs burning at his place.
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Posted by kickstar on Nov 21, 2009, 02:37 AM EST
My late father was Dublin born and reared and his boyhood and lifelong friend was a lad who became a bespoke tailor called Manny. So der you are.
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Posted by jacersisityourself on Nov 20, 2009, 07:40 PM EST
I come to my point on Cahir’s article... the menorah was always (still is) a remnant of fascination with flame-flickeringly hot tasty food. I got a sharp reminder of that when I was abroad (again!) when the cheapiest food restaurant I ate in was decorated with the most enticingly expensive welcoming menorahs (flickering candles slotted into metal suits - candelabras to you and me). So what if Irish people adopt the menorah at the time of celebrating the birth of a Jew known as Jesus Christ? Let’s celebrate it as His parents did in a dark stable needing light. Light of the World... some don't see it's welcoming flickers still. Pity that. Do come into the parlour, there's a welcome for you, just as the Three Wise men found.
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Posted by jacersisityourself on Nov 20, 2009, 07:18 PM EST
McNabb interjects... (I continue w/ my humble opinions – do read on, pls)).... The lure of flashing lights was born out of people, originally children’s fascination of flickering flames. Many people of all cultures all over the world were fascinated by the ability of skilled people to produce a flickering flame out of rubbing two tree sticks together, bringing up a fire and therefore heat and from that an art of cooking, which means tasty food today, as ever it was. People today also delight in flickering flames of light as of way back ‘then’ (whenever or whatever that was ). So our basic human delights are always derived from fascination. Every day, everywhere, any day. Bring on the lights, we call... even if it’s just a flashing dreidel – a spinning top always fascinates a child, it’s even more fascinating when it’s lit up - just like a flickering candle – but rarely does a child ask how does the driedel spin. And it’s often you find a rare parent who can explain to the children why the dreidel spins at all. (more)
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Posted by McNabb1966 on Nov 20, 2009, 07:01 PM EST
The key phrase that sums up this "phenomenon" is..."The symbolism of dispelling darkness with light transcends every faith and culture..." No need to call Ripley's. In a Jewish home it's a menorah. For everybody else it's a candelabra.
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Posted by jacersisityourself on Nov 20, 2009, 06:02 PM EST
Interesting article by Cahir. I was drawn to it because I, out of my father’s family, and therefore my family today, we all have gratitude for Jewish connections. My Irish dad, a native Dublin man, helped two adult Jew brothers, who fled Europe either just before or during WW2 (I can’t remember which now) to found a company in post-war Ireland. The name of the company and products they three produced together with the help of their factory workers, still flourishes in Ireland today, although the company name has changed hands a few times since the founding of the company. I guess a lot (an awful, huge lot!) of people in Ireland today don’t know they are connected in some way with those two Jewish brothers and my dad. >>> But I take issue with Cahir on his statement “For some reason, already lost in time and space, thousands of rural Irish homes have unwittingly adopted this famous candelabrum to celebrate – of all things – Christmas”. By saying this, Cahir has unwittingly exposed himself to having no clue to anything about Irish Jews, their contribution to Irish society and Christianity. May I suggest that he, and others interested, visit this site? >>> http://www.somethingjewish.co.uk/regional_jews/ireland_jews/index.htm ... (more)
 


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