Olivia Hanna
Hanukkah, the “Festival of Lights,” is celebrated nightly from December 7 to 15.
Hanukkah is the Jewish word for “dedication” and refers to the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
In the second century B.C., Israel was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who tried to force the people of Israel to accept Greek culture and beliefs instead of observing mitzvah and believing in God.
Led by Judah the Maccabee, a small group of Jewish soldiers defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of God.
“Hannukah is about the miracles that happen, and achieving peace is going to be nothing more than a miracle,” Rabbi David Kaiman at the Congregation B’nai Israel said. “Just as the Maccabees way back in the second century B.C. sought to bring peace and their own existence and freedom into the Holy Land, we pray for that same kind of miracle here so that there will be peace for all.”
The Menorah, a seven branched candelabrum, is lit for eight days to honor the miracle of finding a cruse with a single day’s worth of olive oil that escaped contamination from the Greeks. The oil lasted eight days instead of one, which began the tradition.
Before the menorah is lit each night, special blessings are recited, and traditional songs are sung afterward.
A menorah is lit in each household and traditionally placed where it can be seen from the outside to symbolize the spreading of God’s light to all nations.
Jewish families gather each year for Hanukkah to honor their history and to celebrate. Traditional celebrations include foods cooked in oil (to represent the miracle of the oil), dreidels and giving gelt—or monetary gifts—to children.
This year, Hanukkah is tinted by the sadness of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Antisemitism has been on the rise around the country, evidenced locally by vandalism of pro-Israel signs and Jewish center property on the UF campus in recent weeks.
“We are sad that there is violence still taking place,” Rabbi Kaiman said. “We’re sad that hostages are still being held. We’re sad that the conflict is still going on. And of course, we seek a time for peace,”
Celebrations for Hannukah will be held daily at the B’nai Congregation and by Chabad UF.