The History of Hanukkah

In the year 167 BCE, the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes ruled over Israel. Antiochus decreed that all his subjects must adopt the customs of Greece. He outlawed the practice of Jewish rituals, even the observance of Sabbath and worshiping in the temple. An old priest named Mattathias and his five sons retreated to the hills and battled against the Syrians and their Greek allies. Judah, the son of Mattathias, and his forces finally defeated the Syrian overlords and their Greek allies in 165 BCE. The first goal of Judah and his followers, called the Maccabees, was to reclaim the temple. After cleaning the temple, they looked for oil to light the eternal flame that is always present in a Jewish house of worship. Unfortunately, they could only find enough oil to light the flame for one day. But when they lit the flame, a miracle happened! The oil lasted for eight days. Since that time Jews around the world have celebrated Hanukkah to commemorate the reclaiming of the temple and the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days.

In association with Amazon.com, we recommend the following books on Hanukkah and Judaism

• The Jewish Holidays: A Guide and Commentary, Michael Strassfeld
• The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
• Living a Jewish Life: Jewish Traditions, Customs, and Values for Today's Families, Anita Diamant
• The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays, Irving Greenberg
• Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People and Its History, Joseph Telushkin
• Living Judaism: The Complete Guide to Jewish Belief, Tradition, and Practice, Wayne D. Dosick
• All About Hanukkah, Madeline Wikler, Judyth Saypol Groner
• The Story of Hanukkah, Bobbi Katz, Linda Dockey Graves (Illustrator)
• Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, Eric A. Kimmel, Trina Schart Hyman (Illustrator)
• Fast and Festive Meals for the Jewish Holidays: Complete Menus, Rituals, and Party-Planning Ideas for Every Holiday of the Year, Marlene Sorosky, Joanne Neuman, Debbie Shahvar
• The Tapestry of Jewish Time: A Spiritual Guide to Holidays and Life-Cycle Events, Nina Beth Cardin, Ilene Winn-Lederer (Illustrator)