December 16, 2024 by Max Greenblatt (‘26)
As we near winter break, Christmas is the holiday on everyone’s minds. This year, nearly 300 million Americans will celebrate It. So, what about the other 50 million? Hanukkah is the second most celebrated winter holiday; more than 17 million Americans will celebrate this December.
Jewish people trace the traditions of this annual Holaday back more than 2000 years to modern-day Israel. As Jewish tradition states, the region of Israel was ruled by a tyrannical foreign king of the Seleucid empire named Antiochus IV, from 175 to 164 B.C.E. Antiochus IV did not respect the Jewish religion and wanted everyone in his kingdom to follow the Greek way of life, including their gods and customs. He banned Jewish religious practices, such as worshiping in their holy place, the Temple in Jerusalem, and ordered that the Temple be defiled by offering sacrifices to Greek gods there. He also made it illegal to study Jewish teachings and observe Jewish customs.
Many Jews were horrified by the oppression of their faith. In a David and Goliath-like battle, a small band of Jews led by a family known as the Maccabees defeated the Greek forces, retaking their sacred Temple in Jerusalem, where they wanted to purify and rededicate the Temple to their God. As part of the rededication ceremony, they needed to light the Menorah, a unique seven-branched lamp in the Temple that symbolizes God’s eternal presence. There was only enough oil to light the Menorah for one day, but despite the lack of oil, the Jewish people lit the Menorah as a symbol of trust in their faith. Miraculously, the oil that should have lasted only one day burned for eight days.
Every year, Jewish people celebrate and remember this miracle in the traditions of Hanukkah. Every family lights a single candle on the Menorah each night for eight nights. They eat fried foods, latkes, chicken, and donuts throughout the holiday, commemorating the oil that burned for 8 days. With a joyous celebration such as this holiday, childrens’ laughter can be found in many homes while they play the Dreidel-a Hanukkah game where kids spin a four-sided top marked with Hebrew letters, symbolizing the Jewish people’s resilience and their sacred study of the Torah during persecution.
For the 17 million Americans celebrating Hanukkah, this holiday reminds them of faith, persistence, and the fight for religious freedom. The story of the Maccabees, the miracle of the oil, the traditions of lighting the Menorah, eating fried foods, and playing Dreidel are testaments to the enduring spirit of the Jewish people.
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