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[ ] Chanukah recalls the struggle for religious freedom and commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem following the victory of the Jews over the Seleucid Greeks in the year 165 B.C.E. Chanukah means Rededication.

[ ] The 8-day rabbinic festival of Chanukah always begins on the 25th day of Kislev and, depending on whether Kislev has 29 or 30 days, ends on either the 3rd or 2nd day of Tevet. This year, Kislev has 30 days and thus this year Chanukah will end on the 2nd day of Tevet. (On the civil calendar, this year Chanukah begins at sunset on Friday, December 15 and ends at sundown on Saturday, December 23.)

[ ] According to tradition: a single portion of oil, used to light the 7-branch Temple Menorah (the symbol of the Jewish faith), that was to last only one night, lasted eight nights. In commemoration, the 8-branch Chanukah Menorah is lit, increasing the number of candles lit each night, until on the last night, 8 candles are lit. In many American households, red, white and blue candles are set aside for use on the 8th and final night.

[ ] Continuing the theme of the “miracle” of the oil, the custom is to eat foods fried in oil on Chanukah. Latkes, fried potato pancakes, is typical to almost every American Jewish household of Ashkenazic (central and eastern European) descent. Jews of Sephardic (Spanish and Portuguese) descent favor sufganiot, fried jelly doughnuts.

Here’s more information about Chanukah, including information on the SONGS, FOODS and the DREIDEL GAME

The Chanukah story:

For the Irish among us, you may find some strong similarities between how the pagan Greeks treated the Jews of the 2nd century B.C.E. and how your Gaelic ancestors were treated by the English in the 17th, 18th & 19th Centuries C.E.

For all its beauty and accomplishments, especially in the fields of athletics, theater and philosophy, Hellenism had a dark side. In ancient Greece, behavior that is today considered deviant, such as infanticide, pedophilia, adultery and institutionalized prostitution, were routine and even encouraged. To Jews, who valued the Torah (Five Books of Moses) and the Commandments concerning the purity of family life, these aspects of Hellenistic culture were incompatible with their own.

In 199 B.C.E., the Greek Seleucid dynasty that ruled Syria took control of Israel from the Greek Ptolemies. It was under the Seleucids that anti-Jewish decrees were first issued against the practice of Judaism. Sabbath observance, the study of Torah, and male circumcisions, for example, were forbidden on pain of death. In addition, Greek gods and other symbols of Greek culture were put inside the Holy Temple, desecrating the center of Jewish ritual life in Jerusalem.

In the year 167 B.C.E. the Greek king, Antiochus Epiphanes began a campaign to force the Jews under his rule to formally adopt Greek practices. That’s when one Jewish family, five sons and their old father, Mattityahu, took a stand. They became known as the Maccabees, which in Hebrew, means Men Who are as Strong as Hammers.

Led by Judah Maccabee, the most famous of Mattityahu’s five sons, the Maccabees, a force much smaller than the powerful Greek armies, finally triumphed in 165 B.C.E. On the 25th of Kislev, the Maccabees reclaimed the Jewish Temple, which was, at that point, almost unrecognizable as a place of Jewish worship.

According to rabbinical myth, in one Temple chamber, the Maccabees found a single bottle of oil, which normally would have lasted only one night. However, by a miracle, the one bottle of oil lasted eight nights, until new kosher oil, fit for Temple use, could be produced.

The true miracle of Chanukah is that the Jewish people even dared to fight, let alone defeat the Greek army and were able to rededicate the Temple. The Maccabees were outnumbered, poorly trained and hardly equipped, but that did not stop them from trying. According to all the calculations of military experts and against all rules of logic, the Jews should never have had the ability to defeat their enemies, especially when it came to the Greek empire. But, they did and this is the actual miracle of Chanukah.

Families celebrate Chanukah in their homes by reciting special Blessings and then lighting the candles in the Chanukah Menorah, singing Chanukah songs, such as Ma’oz Tzur,” the original “Rock of Ages”, eating festive meals with lots of latkes and wagering Chanukah gelt (foil covered chocolate coins) when playing the dreidel (a 4-sided top) game.

Chanukah is probably one of the best known Jewish holidays, not because of any great religious significance, but because of its proximity to Christmas. Many non-Jews (and even many assimilated Jews!) think of this holiday as the Jewish Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas customs, such as elaborate gift-giving and decoration. It is bitterly ironic that this holiday, which has its roots in a revolution against assimilation and the suppression of Jewish religion, has become the most assimilated, secular holiday on the Jewish calendar.

After the Blessings are recited and the menorah is lit, SONGS that highlight the miracle of Chanukah are sung. The most popular is not “The Dreidel Song”. The most popular is “Ma’oz Tzur,” the original “Rock of Ages”, that recounts the many times G-d saved the Jewish people.

To hear the Ma’oz Tzur melody, please click here.

The transliteration (Hebrew written in English):

Ma’oz tzur yeshua-si
Lecha na-eh li-sha-beyach
Tikone bais ti-fee-lasi
Vi-sham todah ni-za-beyach.

Li-ase ta-chin mat-beyach
Mee-tzar ham-na-beyach
Az eg-more vi-sheer meez-mor
Chanukas ha-meez-beyach
Az eg-more vi-sheer meez-mor
Chanukas ha-meez-beyach.

A less than literal, but singable translation:

Rock of ages, let our song
Praise your saving power
You amid the raging foes
Were our sheltering tower

Furious they assailed us
But your arm availed us
And your word
Broke their sword
When our own strength failed us
And your word
Broke their sword
When our own strength failed us.

Children of the wanderers
Whether free or fettered
Wake the echoes of the songs
Where you may be scattered
Yours the message cheering
That the time is nearing
Which will see all men free
Tyrants disappearing
Which will see all men free
Tyrants disappearing.

Furious they assailed us
But your arm availed us
And your word
Broke their sword
When our own strength failed us
And your word
Broke their sword
When our own strength failed us.

After the songs, we E A T

Recipe for Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

Here’s what you will need: 5 medium potatoes, washed, but not peeled; 1 onion; 1/4 cup matzoh meal or flour; 1 egg, beaten; 1/4 tsp baking powder; salt and pepper to taste; vegetable oil, applesauce or sour cream. You will also need a grater or food processor with a shredding surface or blade, bowl, small measuring cup, 1/4 teaspoon, spatula, large frying pan, paper towels and serving platter.

Shred the potatoes and place in bowl. After peeling off the outside layer, shred the onion and add to potatoes. Add matzoh meal or flour, beaten egg, baking powder, salt and pepper and hand mix.

Heat vegetable oil in large frying pan. Drop several 1/4 cups of potato mixture into frying pan and press lightly with the spatula on each mound to flatten. Turn over when brown (approximately, 2-1/2 to 3 minutes per side). Remove and drain on paper towel.

Repeat until all the mixture has been dropped into the frying pan. You may have to add additional oil to the frying pan after each batch is fried. Yield: About 15, 3″ pancakes.

Serve with applesauce or sour cream. (My mother served latkes with large dollops of both.)

After lighting the menorah, singing songs and filling our bellies with latkes or jelly doughnuts, it time for the: D R E I D E L G A M E

The dreidel goes back to the time of the pagan Greeks. The pagan Greeks prohibited the Jews from studying Torah. When the pagan Greeks saw a group of Jews together, they checked to see that they were not studying. The Jews would hide their books and take out their dreidels and trick the pagan Greeks into thinking they were just playing a game.

A dreidel is a four-sided top containing a letter on each side.

Outside of Israel, dreidels have the letters nun, gimel, hay, shin. These stand for “Nes Gadol Haya Sham” which means “a great miracle happened there.”

In Israel, dreidels have the letters nun, gimel, hay, pay. These stand for “Nes Gadol Haya Po” which means “a great miracle happened here.”

Dreidel Game Rules

All players get an equal amount of chocolate coins (Chanukah gelt), candies, raisins, pennies or tokens.

At the beginning (also whenever the pot is empty) all players put one chocolate coin in the pot in the center.

Then players take turns spinning the dreidel and each player acts according to the letter which is facing up after giving the dreidel a good spin.

nun: player does nothing

gimel: player takes all the chocolate coins in the pot

hay: player takes half of the chocolate coins in the pot

shin or pay: player must put one chocolate coin into the pot

The winner is the person with the most chocolate coins at the end of the game.

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