Hanukkah, like most other December holidays, is outshone by Christmas. Although it is officially listed as a “minor” Jewish holiday, it is one of the most well known of them all. This is the story behind the popular Jewish holiday.

Hanukkah is a holiday of remembrance, in which the Jewish people commemorate a miracle and a revolution. In around 200 B.C. the Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the ruler over Israel, abolished the rights of the Jewish people to worship freely; he forced the Jews to worship the Greek gods.

The Syrians desecrated the Temple by sacrificing pigs (an animal considered unclean to the Jewish people) and dedicated the Temple to Zeus. This was an abomination, as the Temple of Jerusalem was the most holy place of all for the Jews.

The Jews resisted under the leadership of Mattathias and later Judah of the Maccabees, and eventually managed to drive the Syrians out of Judea. Hanukkah, however is about what happened after the Syrians were driven out of the Holy Land.

When the Temple was being re-dedicated with the ceremonial lamp it only had only enough oil to last one day. Messengers were sent out to get some more oil, but it took eight days to secure it. But then a miracle happened, according to tradition the oil lasted days longer than it should have; long enough for more oil to be brought over. This miracle became the basis of what we now know as Hanukkah.          

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Holocaust survivor, Robert Geminder, who managed to cheat death many times talked about Hanukkah during the Holocaust and how it has changed.

“During the Holocaust we never observed any Jewish holidays,” Geminder said. After escaping from the ghetto, we only observed Catholic holidays. Chanukah (Hanukkah) has changed; more emphasis is placed on giving gifts. We decorate a bit more.”

 Expert in Jewish history and Rabbi at Temple Beth Israel, Rick Winer spoke about the origin of the holiday.

“Within the Jewish community of the time, mid-second century B.C.E., a group known as the Maccabees, led by Judah, fought the Syrian Greek forces of Antiochus,” Winer said. “Antiochus’ soldiers had desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem and the traditionalist Jewish forces would not stand for it.  They eventually overcame the Syrian Greeks and cleansed the Temple.”

Historically, the eight day festival of Chanukah (which means dedication), was the opportunity to rededicate the Temple and celebrate the recent eight day festival of Sukkot; which they could not celebrate at the proper time because the Temple was unavailable.  The legend tells that the Maccabees only found enough sanctified oil to burn for one night, but God created a miracle and the light lasted for eight days.

Bible and Christian living teacher Don Rojeski, who is an expert in Bible history, comments on the significance of Hanukkah. 

”Hanukkah is a very special event and one of the latest event in Jewish history,” Rojeski said. “Once the Temple had been despoiled by Antiochus Epiphanes it was under Judas of the Maccabees that it was restored and rededicated. Hanukkah is a symbol of the rededication of the Temple that takes place so it becomes a special time when the Jews were finally again able to offer sacrifices and serve God.” 

The author used these sources ReformJudaism.org and History.com  

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