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Hanukah. Chanukah. Hanukkah. The Festival of Lights. It's one of the most important of the Jewish holidays. The holiday goes back almost 2,400 years, and celebrates one of the greatest miracles in Jewish history. 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 History of Hanukkah
Almost two and a half millennia ago, Judea was ruled by Antiochus, a Syrian king. He attempted to assimilate the Jews into Greek culture, commanding them to worship Greek gods while oppressing Jewish culture and religion. Many Jewsrefused to do so. Led by Judah Maccabee and his brothers, the Jewish people, after a three-year struggle, overthrew their Syrian oppressors.
When Jerusalem's Temple was reclaimed, the Hebrews found it defiled by statues of the Greek gods and other religious artifacts. They cleared out the foreign icons and rededicated the temple on the 25th day of Kislev. As part of their campaign of oppression, the Greeks had systematically defiled any Jewish religious item they could find. So 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 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 found.
Words:
Cantor Pronunciation: 'kantur
Dreidel Pronunciation: 'drA-d&l/
A 4-sided toy marked with Hebrew letters and spun like a top in a game of chance
Menorah Pronunciation: mu'nowru
A candelabra with seven or nine candles that is used in Jewish worship
Links:
Chanukah On the Net - Welcome
December 19* - December 26, 2003 25 Kislev - 2 Tevet 5763 *begins at
sunset. to a celebration of the Jewish holiday of Chanukah. Chanukah ...
Description: Summarizes the holiday's historical background and provides family activities.
http://www.holidays.net/chanukah/
The Jewish Outreach Institute
www.joi.org/celebrate/hanuk/
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Friday, December 19, 2003 10:56 AM