Chanukah now Britain’s most-kept Jewish festival, major new study reveals
New JPR data shows 9 in 10 British Jews lit Chanukah candles last year, outpacing all other festivals
Nearly nine in ten British Jews celebrated Chanukah in 2024, making it the most widely observed festival on the UK Jewish calendar, according to new research from the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR).
The short paper, Celebrating the Festival of Lights, analyses responses from more than 4,800 adults who took part in the JPR’s 2025 Jews in Uncertain Times survey. It finds that 89 percent of British Jews lit Chanukah candles at least once last year – whether at home or elsewhere – a higher share than those who took part in a Passover seder (84 percent) or observed Rosh Hashanah rituals (74 percent) in previous years.
The data shows Chanukah’s reach extends far beyond regular shul-goers. While only 31 percent of non-practising Jews say they celebrate Chanukah every year, 68 percent reported lighting candles in 2024. Younger Jews and those living in larger households are also more likely to celebrate, but the festival’s appeal is strong across almost every demographic.
JPR executive director Dr Jonathan Boyd said the findings highlight Chanukah’s unique ability to draw in Jews of all backgrounds.
“More than any other holiday on the Jewish calendar, Chanukah seems to hold the power to engage Jews of all ages, denominations and levels of community involvement. Whilst practising and affiliated Jews are most likely to celebrate Chanukah, the holiday’s parallels with Christmas – time of year, gift-giving, familial feeling – as well as its ritual simplicity and popular foods, appear to help draw in even the least communally-involved Jews to a degree no other Jewish festival can match.
“Given that other recent JPR research demonstrates that the home is the most potent environment for transmitting Jewishness to the next generation, it may well be that the candle-lighting ceremonies taking place in Jewish homes across the country in the coming days are among the most valuable Jewish moments we have.”
The report notes that Chanukah’s timing, its family-focused atmosphere and the ease of its central ritual – lighting the menorah – help explain its broad appeal, particularly at a moment when many Jews say they are looking for sources of comfort, identity and togetherness.
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