Celebrating Hanukkah in the time of Covid

"Today would be the kick-off day, a really big one. I'd usually be getting together with grandparents, cousins, uncles and siblings - but this year, it's really different."

Freelance writer Emma Jacobs, like many Jewish people across the UK, is preparing for a partly virtual Hanukkah.

The festival, which celebrates one of the greatest miracles in Jewish history, runs this year from today until nightfall on the 18th.

"Hanukkah would usually be like the Jewish version of Christmas," Emma explains. "A super-exciting day everyone looks forward to, filled with chocolate coins and presents. Not sure if that's completely for religious reasons, or just so we don't feel left out at Christmas!"

Emma will have a few close family members with her, saying: "I've got the joy of still living at home for a bit, so I'm going to be having doughnuts and latke with my parents."

But at the beginning of the holiday, it's traditional for the whole family to get together.

"I don't know if I'm gonna have to go and throw doughnuts at my cousin and grandparents' door," she tells Radio 1 Newsbeat. "But whatever it takes this year, I hope to at least be able to say 'Hanukkah sameach' to them, even if we can't light the Hanukkiah [ceremonial candle] together."

Sadie Stanton, 22, is also jumping online to connect with family.

"I'm at home so I'm with my immediate family. But wishing grandparents and cousins and everyone happy Hanukkah, that's going to be over Zoom."

And it's not the first holiday affected by the pandemic.

"We already had Passover - that was very disjointed and separated, so it's just such a shame.

"I just got off the phone with my grandparents in Israel. So they're a long way from their family and they don't know when they're next going to be able to see them and this kind of brings that home."

For Eve Phillips, 22, the restrictions are a chance to get back to basics.

She'll be settling down to a meal with her parents in London, but not leaping on to Zoom.

"Passover was way more of a big deal for us that we couldn't get to see our grandparents and cousins and stuff," she says.

"Hanukkah is much more of a low-key festival. So we're very happy, just the four of us, to light candles and do the traditions, but it's not so big of a deal that we feel like we have to be online.

"And also," she adds candidly, "we're zoomed out! So we have no interest in getting online."

Amy's 22 and studying history at Edinburgh uni.

"I have a couple of Jewish friends, and normally we'd get together," she says.

"Last year we had a little Hanukkah party and made latkes and doughnuts and had them with all our friends, which is really nice - to introduce them to Jewish culture."

But for Amy, there's something about the message of Hanukkah that seems especially poignant this year.

"I think it's about resilience and strength. That, to me, is what Hanukkah is about, Jewish resilience.

"And I guess the whole country has to be resilient right now, and kind of look to the greater good."

And that's something Emma certainly agrees with.

"It's a classic sort of 'they tried to kill us, they didn't, we survived, let's eat!' religious festival," she tells Newsbeat.

"Back then, it was the Greeks against the Maccabees. Today, you could say maybe it's coronavirus against all of us.

"But we've made it through what has been such a tough year, and whatever people are celebrating - whether that's Hanukkah, Christmas, Diwali or Eid - we need light and celebration more than ever.

"That's the hope of the Hanukkah miracle, whether for you that is a vaccine, or the oil lasting eight days instead of one. It's something we really need now - we really need that hope."

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