The Hanukkah Holiday Honors the Struggle of Ancient Jews to Restore the Temple of Jerusalem

The Hanukkah holiday honors the struggle of ancient Jews to restore the Temple of Jerusalem.

Long ago, Judea was ruled by the Syrian king Antiochus, who said that Jews should give up worshipping Yahweh (their god) and worship the Greek gods instead.

The Jews didn't like this. They refused to abandon Yahweh and decided to do something about the king’s order.

A man named Judah Maccabee got a group of people together to fight back. This army was much smaller than the Syrian army, but they were determined. For three years, the Jews battled the Syrians for control of Judea. Finally, the Jews won.

They cleaned the Temple of Jerusalem, their most holy site, removing all Greek symbols and restoring the Jewish

symbols. The job was finished on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. This is the day Hanukkah is

celebrated. (The day varies in the Western calendar.)

To help celebrate, Judah and his followers lit an oil lamp. The supply of oil was very low, but miraculously, this lamp stayed lit for eight days!

To honor this extraordinary event, Jews today celebrate the Eight Days of Hanukkah. They call this time the “Festival of Lights” because of the tradition of lighting the menorah and because they see this time as a way to bring light to the world through their faith. People today give each other gifts, make special foods, have special dinners, and remember their ancestors, who fought to take their temple back.

Adapted from “About Hanukkah”

from the Social Studies for Kids website.

The Hanukkah menorah is a nine-branched candelabrum (a candle holder with nine arms) that is used to represent the miracle of one day’s supply of oil burning for eight days.

Eight of the branches hold candles that represent one of the days the oil burned while the ninth candle is called the “shamash” (which means “helper” or “guardian”) and is used to light the other eight. To be kosher, a Hanukkah menorah must have the shamash candle higher or lower than the other eight candles. The menorah is also a traditional symbol of the Jewish faith, but that menorah only has seven branches. Only the Hanukkah menorah has nine branches and it’s only used to celebrate this special

time of year!

The Maccabeats walk you through the Hanukkah story “Hamilton” style:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3UubcYj49k

Here’s a storybook about Hanukkah read aloud and animated:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tws_uMAEOs

The Maccabeats are really a lot of fun.

Here’s their parody of “Dynamite”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSJCSR4MuhU

Little kids all have fun with

the dreidel song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BhN4_MluBo

Does your family celebrate Hanukkah?

Do you have family traditions that center around this holiday?

Learn about the Jewish Festival of Lights, the significance of the menorah, watch the “Hamilton” Hanukkah story, and share your celebrations!