Happy Hanukkah

The History of Hanukkah

Hanukah, Chanukah, Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights: It's one of the most important Jewish holidays and the tradition can be traced back almost 2,400 years. Hanukkah celebrates one of the important miracles in Jewish history and reminds us of the triumph of faith. It takes place every year in mid to late December. While its date varies if you go by the western calendar, in the Hebrew calendar Hanukkah always falls on the 25th day of Kislev.

The Story of Hanukkah
The Festival of Lights' history begins almost two and a half millennia ago, when Antiochus, a Syrian king, ruled Judea. He attempted to assimilate the Jews into Greek culture, commanding them to worship Greek gods while oppressing Jewish culture and religion. One priest in particular, Mattathias, was asked to participate in a ceremony of bowing to an idol and eating the flesh of a pig, both forbidden acts. He refused, but another villager stepped forward and volunteered to do it instead. Angered, Mattathias killed the man and the officer who had asked him to take part in the ceremony. His five sons and other villagers followed suit and killed the other soldiers.

Mattathias' family went into hiding and were soon joined by a large number of Jews who wanted to fight the Greeks. A year later, Mattathias died, but before he passed away, he put his son, Judah Maccabbee, in charge. Led by Judah Maccabee and his brothers, the Jewish people, after a three-year struggle, overthrew their Syrian oppressors.

When they reclaimed Jerusalem's Temple, the Hebrews found it defiled by statues of the Greek gods and other religious artifacts. As part of their campaign of oppression, the Greeks had systematically defiled any Jewish religious item they could find. The Hebrews cleared out the foreign icons and rededicated the temple on the 25th day of Kislev. When the time came to light the N'er Tamid, the Eternal Light of the Temple, the Jews could find only one sanctified jar of oil marked with the seal of the High Priest. It was only enough to last one evening. The lamp was lit with this small jar of oil and, miraculously, stayed lit for eight days, until more oil suitable for the temple was made.

Symbols in Hanukkah Foods
Oil is obviously one of the central themes of Hanukkah and this is reflected in the foods enjoyed on the holiday, foods like potato pancakes (latkes) and jelly-filled donuts (sufganiyot).

Cheese and dairy products are also eaten on Hanukkah. While not a reminder of the above story, they are a reminder of the risk Yehudit (Judith) took to save her village from their Syrian captors. Judith brought cheese and wine to the governor who got himself drunk. When he collapsed to the floor in a drunken stupor Judith cut off his head. The next morning the Jews attacked, and finding their governor dead, the Syrians fled and the Jewish people were freed at last. Cheese blintzes are a favorite Hanukkah dish.