Hanukkah

What is
Hanukkah?

Hanukkah, which is the Hebrew word for Dedication, is the Jewish Festival of Lights. Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. As it is a Hebrew word, the transliteration can be spelled in many different ways (Chanukah, etc).

In the 160s B.C.E., King Antiochus IV forced the Jewish people to worship Greek gods in the Temple and outlawed Jewish practices. A very small army of Jews known as the Maccabees, who were tremendously outnumbered, were led by Judah Maccabee to fight against King Antiochus IV and the Seluicid (Syrian-Greek) government. The Maccabees successfully defeated King Antiochus and the Maccabees were able to reclaim the Temple and rededicate it to God.  The Jewish people did not have an opportunity to celebrate the eight day holiday of Sukkot during the war with the Greeks, so they decided to create and celebrate an eight day holiday to commemorate the Maccabees miraculous victory that winter, beginning on the 25th of Kislev in the Jewish calendar (winter time).

Rebuilding the Temple including lighting the Menorah. According to the rabbis in the Talmud around 600 C.E (almost 800 years after the original story), nearly all of the olive oil was destroyed except just a small amount that would only last one night, but miraculously, the olive oil continued to burn for eight nights. This is why we light our Hanukkah candles for eight nights.

Today, Hanukkah continues to be a beloved holiday with many celebrations taking place in the home, in the community and at Shul. Common Hanukkah get-togethers may include playing the game of Dreidel (a game the Jews played while under Greek rule so the Greeks would not know they were studying Torah), eating Latkes (potato pancakes) and Sufganiyot (jelly donuts) and of course, lighting the Hanukkiyah (Hanukkah Menorah).

One common question we get year round (but especially during Hanukkah) is, "How can I show my appreciation to the LRECC teachers and staff?" To help answer this question, we've created a handy wishlist that you are invited to view and choose to make purchases.  Additionally, tributes and donations are always greatly appreciated by the LRECC community.

The support of our families and community means the world!