Hanukkah starts at sunset on the 20th.

[memphis]

It's not even the most important Jewish holiday.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It's not even in the top 10 or so holidays. But whatever. Everybody likes lights and presents. I see no need for a President to fake it. None of the contenders are Jewish. None of them need to light a menorah. It's stupid pandering when people do crap like Perry in the above pic.

[memphis]

One Republican has it covered:

That pic looks like a bunch of Jewish Amish brethren or some cocktail like that...

The ultra-Orthodox have a very strange but consistent look. Go to the right parts of Brooklyn and you'll see them (including some of my relatives) all over, looking just like that. Heck, drive down certain streets in Memphis on Saturday morning and you'll see them walking to synagogue. Don't know how they manage in the black suits in July.

[memphis]

One Republican has it covered:

That pic looks like a bunch of Jewish Amish brethren or some cocktail like that...

The ultra-Orthodox have a very strange but consistent look. Go to the right parts of Brooklyn and you'll see them (including some of my relatives) all over, looking just like that. Heck, drive down certain streets in Memphis on Saturday morning and you'll see them walking to synagogue. Don't know how they manage in the black suits in July.

I figured it was an orthodox wardrobe.  Considering I've only been to New York City once in my life to see a Reds/Mets game at the old Shea Stadium, and I've only driven through Memphis on my way to Norfolk, Virginia then I wouldn't know the dress.  There aren't too many orthodox in Oklahoma City.

And, yeah, I can only imagine the warmth they must feel in July.

There aren't that many in Memphis. That was kind of my point. Even in my smaller town, they're around. I did a google search and there's an orthodox synagogue in OKC. It's called Ohev Shalom and it's at 3901 N. Portland Ave. Drive by around 9 AM on Saturday morning. I bet you'll see people dressed like in the picture.

[memphis]

It's not even the most important Jewish holiday.

Beyond that; it's one of the least important.

It seems kind of odd for one of the least important Jewish holidays to coincide with one of Christianity's most important holidays (second only to Easter).  I guess that's on purpose so as to not overshadow or short-circuit the importance of Christmas.

Uh, our holiday is way older than yours, unless you're counting the pagan roots of Christmas, which is the only reason you celebrate on Dec 25 anyway. And Jews don't take Christianity into account when we're scheduling our holidays.

[memphis]

One Republican has it covered:

That pic looks like a bunch of Jewish Amish brethren or some cocktail like that...

The ultra-Orthodox have a very strange but consistent look. Go to the right parts of Brooklyn and you'll see them (including some of my relatives) all over, looking just like that. Heck, drive down certain streets in Memphis on Saturday morning and you'll see them walking to synagogue. Don't know how they manage in the black suits in July.

Another reason why dressing up for any type of religious service is a terrible thing and a practice that needs to go away entirely. I like the summer services where I go because it has a ton of cute girls and they're often wearing sex sundresses or miniskirts, very nice. Of course now when it's cold that means a lot are wearing those cute hipster scarves, so it works out too.

Don't Orthodox Jewish services also have segregated genders like mosques? Ugh.

Yes, orthodox synagogues are designed so that men can't see the women during services. The idea is that you shouldn't be distracted by sundresses or whatever while you're praying. Not that an orthodox woman would wear a sundress anyway. They're covered from throat to toe  (minus hands) anytime they're outside anyway. Plus their hair will be obscured under either a wig or headscarf once they're married, which happens at about age 19.

[memphis]

I'm not even sure if Hannukah (as a holiday) outdates Christmas.  I'm not sure if Hannukah was celebrated in Hasmonean/Roman Judea.

Hanukah dates to at least the first century. Quoth wikipedia:

The ancient Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus narrates in his book Jewish Antiquities XII, how the victorious Judas Maccabeus ordered lavish yearly eight-day festivities after rededicating the Temple in Jerusalem that had been profaned by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Josephus does not say the festival was called Hannukkah but rather the "Festival of Lights":
 
"Now Judas celebrated the festival of the restoration of the sacrifices of the temple for eight days, and omitted no sort of pleasures thereon; but he feasted them upon very rich and splendid sacrifices; and he honored God, and delighted them by hymns and psalms. Nay, they were so very glad at the revival of their customs, when, after a long time of intermission, they unexpectedly had regained the freedom of their worship, that they made it a law for their posterity, that they should keep a festival, on account of the restoration of their temple worship, for eight days. And from that time to this we celebrate this festival, and call it Lights. I suppose the reason was, because this liberty beyond our hopes appeared to us; and that thence was the name given to that festival. Judas also rebuilt the walls round about the city, and reared towers of great height against the incursions of enemies, and set guards therein. He also fortified the city Bethsura, that it might serve as a citadel against any distresses that might come from our enemies."[8]

Records of Christmas only pop up later. Again quoting wikipedia:
The earliest known reference to the date of the nativity as December 25 is found in the Chronography of 354, an illuminated manuscript compiled in Rome.[