Hanukkah commemorates the events in the Land of Israel around 135 BCE when the ruling Syrian Greek King Antiochus 1V attempted to impose a wholly Greek way of life on the population. Whilst some people were willing to embrace Hellenism (acting and thinking like Greeks), others objected to the loss of Jewish identity tat this entailed. Maters came to a head when a statute of Zeus was placed in the Temple in Jerusalem and animals forbidden by Jewish law were offered as sacrifices.
Matityahu, a man of priestly family, and his 5 sons: Judah, Simeon, Jonathan, Jochanan and Eleazar who together were known as the Maccabees, led the rebellion. After several months of fighting, they regained control of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas.
When the Temple had been cleansed and was ready for rededication as the Jewish place of worship, it was discovered that there was only one day’s supply of oil for the golden candelabrum. It would take eight days to receive the new supply. The candelabrum was lit anyway, and burned for the eight days.
To commemorate this miracle, each evening we light another candle on the family hanukkiyah (8 light candelabrum) and eat food fried in oil e.g. potato fritters and doughnuts.
Ms. Charry (Jewish Studies/Hebrew)
