CHANUKAH
THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
Wednesday Eve, December 25, 2024 -
Thursday, January 2, 2024
CHANUKAH AT THE STATE HOUSE
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18 AT 4:30 PM
CHANUKAH AT CITY HALL
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19 AT 4:00 PM
More events will be posted shortly….
THE STORY OF CHANUKAH:
On the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev in the year 167 BCE (3622 from creation), the Maccabees (Israeli army) liberated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, after defeating the vastly more numerous and powerful armies of the Syrian-Greek king Antiochus IV, who had tried to forcefully uproot the beliefs and practices of Judaism from the people of Israel. The victorious Jews repaired, cleansed and rededicated the Temple to the service of G-d. However, all the Temple's oil had been defiled by the pagan invaders; when the Jews sought to light the Temple's menorah (candelabra), they found only one small cruse of ritually pure olive oil. Miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new, pure oil could be obtained. In commemoration, the Sages instituted the 8-day festival of Chanukah, on which lights are kindled nightly to recall and publicize the miracle.
CHANUKAH FOODS:
On Chanukah we eat foods fried in oil -- such as latkes (potato cakes) and doughnuts -- in commemoration of the miracle of the oil.
DREIDEL:
When the Greeks forbade the study of Torah, Jewish children continued to study with their teachers in caves and cellars. When the agents of the king were seen approaching, the children would hide their scrolls and start to play with spinning tops...Thus, it is customary to play dreidel -- a game played with a spinning top inscribed with the Hebrew letters Nun, Gimmel, Hei and Shin, which spell the phrase Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, "a great miracle happened there (Jerusalem)."
CHANUKAH GELT:
During Chanukah it is customary to give gelt (money) to children. It is a pedagogical instrument through which we can teach them the beauty and holiness of charity and sharing. Another reason is just to simply add to the festivity and joy of the Holiday.