<P> In 2001, President George W. Bush held an official Hanukkah reception in the White House in conjunction with the candle - lighting ceremony, and since then this ceremony has become an annual tradition attended by Jewish leaders from around the country . In 2008, George Bush linked the occasion to the 1951 gift by using that menorah for the ceremony, with a grandson of Ben - Gurion and a grandson of Truman lighting the candles . </P> <P> In December 2014, two Hanukkah celebrations were held at the White House . The White House commissioned a menorah made by students at the Max Rayne school in Israel and invited two of its students to join U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as they welcomed over 500 guests to the celebration . The students' school in Israel had been subjected to arson by extremists . President Obama said these "students teach us an important lesson for this time in our history . The light of hope must outlast the fires of hate . That's what the Hanukkah story teaches us . It's what our young people can teach us--that one act of faith can make a miracle, that love is stronger than hate, that peace can triumph over conflict ." Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl, in leading prayers at the ceremony commented on the how special the scene was, asking the President if he believed America's founding fathers could possibly have pictured that a female Asian - American rabbi would one day be at the White House leading Jewish prayers in front of the African - American president . </P> <P> The dates of Hanukkah are determined by the Hebrew calendar . Hanukkah begins at the 25th day of Kislev and concludes on the 2nd or 3rd day of Tevet (Kislev can have 29 or 30 days). The Jewish day begins at sunset . Hanukkah begins at sunset of the date listed . </P> <Ul> <Li> 27 November 2013 </Li> <Li> 16 December 2014 </Li> <Li> 6 December 2015 </Li> <Li> 24 December 2016 </Li> <Li> 12 December 2017 </Li> <Li> 2 December 2018 </Li> <Li> 22 December 2019 </Li> <Li> 10 December 2020 </Li> </Ul>

When does hanukkah end on the jewish calendar