Chanukah is about family and togetherness. My family would light the candles and sing the songs every night. I love the fact that I’ve started doing that with my family now. Also, ever since I learned that proof of the story of Chanukah was carved into the Arch of Titus in Rome (frieze of the Menorah being taken from the destroyed Jerusalem Temple), the holiday has had a historical connection for me.
Every year, my grandmother, Muriel, and her sister, my great-aunt Beatie, would come over together to make potato latkes (potato pancakes), one of my favorite foods. They would compete for hours over whose was better and let me be the judge (taster). It’s one of those family memories that I have not yet been able to duplicate, but I look forward to it.
A Brief History of Chanukah
Chanukah, also spelled Hanukkah, is known as the Jewish Festival of Lights and has its roots in a story of resilience and hope. More than two thousand years ago, the Jewish people reclaimed and rededicated the Second Temple in Jerusalem after a successful revolt against the Seleucid Empire. When they went to light the Temple’s menorah, they found only a small jar of oil, enough for one day. Yet, according to tradition, that oil burned for eight days, giving rise to the holiday’s central miracle. Today, Chanukah is celebrated for eight nights, beginning on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, which fell on December 14 this year . Families mark the occasion with candle lighting, songs, and traditions that honor both the historical victory and the enduring message of light in times of darkness.
