Israelis love Hanukkah
Photo: Ronen Yules
Holiday dreidel
Photo: Visual Photos
This Hanukkah: 82% of Israelis still believe in miracles
Ynet poll conducted in spirit of festival of lights shows 96% of Israeli Jews light menorah, 41% say have experienced miracles of their own
Hanukkah is one of the holidays that more and more Israelis can relate to, and a poll carried out by Ynet and the Gesher Institute shows just how many.
The poll showed that 96% of the Jewish Israeli public light Hanukkah candles, 82% believe in miracles and 69% believe the Jews' resistance against foreign cultural influences is relevant today as well.
The Ynet-Gesher poll was conducted by the Panels research institute and included 500 respondents that constitute a representative sample of the adult Jewish population in Israel. The maximum margin of error was 4.5%.
Ninety-six percent of participants asked if they planned to light Hanukkah candles said yes, with 78% saying they would light candles on each of the holiday's eight nights.
Eighteen percent said they would light a candle on at least one of the nights, and 4% said they would not be lighting their menorah this year, agreeing with the statement: We don't care about the holiday.
Hanukkah is also known as the festival of miracles, with limited olive oil lasting seven days longer than expected, and the victory of the underdog Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire. But do Israelis still believe in miracles?
According to the poll, 82% said yes, and 41% said they have experienced miracles firsthand in the past, with 41% saying they were still waiting for their first miracle.
On the other hand, 18% said they agreed with the statement that the belief in miracles is a "primitive perception".
Gesher Institute Director Shoshi Becker said, "The findings show that Hanukkah is celebrated by all streams of the society, and many in Israel connect with it and its essence. Many see the miracle as the foundation of the holiday, and this is a strong message that has been passed on through the ages."
