What is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians, the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and the miracle that took place in the Temple. The year was 170 BC, and there was a Greek ruler in Syria named Antiochus. When his army conquered the land of Judea, Antiochus ordered the people of Israel to reject their God, their religion, their customs and beliefs, and to worship the Greek gods. To make matters worse, his armies went into the Holy Temple of Jerusalem, defiled the menorah, ruined the altar, and erected statues of their own gods. Some of the Jews did as they were told, however the majority of them refused. One of these men, Judah the Maccabee, his four brothers, and others who were not willing to give up their customs and beliefs, formed an army, calling themselves the Maccabees. After three years of fighting many battles, the Maccabees succeeded in driving the Syrians out of Israel and reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Upo
