Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lit a hanukkiah with several Ukrainian rabbis in celebration of the first night of Hanukkah on Wednesday, as seen in a video post to his X/Twitter account.
Zelensky, who is Jewish, praised his country's ability to celebrate separate religious holidays respectfully and still be united in their goal of victory.
"We have a unique country – today, we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah. It's very good that in Ukraine we can all live together, all fight the darkness, as Shmuel Kaminetsky said," Zelensky told the delegation of rabbis. "In Ukraine, people have a nature that makes them inherently light. So I'm sure that, as you say and as Hanukkah says, the light will definitely overcome the darkness. I am sure of that."
A delegation of 12 rabbis visited Zelensky's residence in Kyiv to give blessings and light candles. Some of them noted Ukraine's positioning with the current war with Russia, and prayed for an end to the conflict and a victory for Ukraine.
Today, we mark both Christmas and the beginning of Hanukkah. It is very good that in Ukraine we can celebrate such holidays with respect for each other, communicate, live together and wish different people the same victory—the victory of light over darkness.And today, together… pic.twitter.com/GxSQNm7jTr
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 25, 2024
“The battle between light and darkness continues," said Chief Rabbi of Dnipro Shmuel Kaminetsky, as noted in a press release about the event. "We see that thanks to you, the axis of evil is becoming much weaker, and we will soon defeat it. We will light these candles and hope that the Almighty will help us, and we will pray with everyone to see great miracles soon."
Zelensky also noted that the hanukkiah used during the event was given to him by Argentinian President Javier Millei, who reportedly presented it to Zelensky during his inauguration in Buenos Aires last year.
Russian Christmas attack
The celebration came after a massive Russian attack on Ukraine's power grid, which left an estimated half a million Ukrainians without power in below-freezing temperatures.
"Today, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin deliberately chose Christmas to attack. What could be more inhuman? More than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than a hundred attack drones," he said.
US President Joe Biden condemned the attack and said that he told the US Department of Defense to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
"The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people's access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardize the safety of its grid," Biden said in a statement.
Washington has committed $175 billion in aid for Ukraine. It is not certain the flow will continue at that pace under Trump, who has said he wants to bring the war to a quick end.