Jews and Christians will both be celebrating this year on Dec. 25, with Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah falling on the same day, which only happens a few times each century.
But while the intertwining of those faiths is rare on the calendar — Hanukkah is determined by the Jewish Calendar and only falls on Christmas once every 19 years or so — it’s common in Columbus’ houses of worship. With a Christian singer performing at Temple Israel and a Jewish singer performing at St. Thomas Episcopal Church , the two mesh often.
Members of the two places of worship regularly work together to uplift the broader community and find value in learning more about people from different cultural backgrounds.
“Our primary duty is to serve our memberships,” Temple Israel Rabbi Larry Schlesinger said. “But what might even be considered a higher duty is to reach beyond the full four walls of our individual sanctuaries and join hands with others striving to create peace on Earth and goodwill towards all men and women.”