Chanukah

On the 25th of Kislev we celebrate the eight day Festival of Dedication, our wonderful Jewish holiday, perhaps. We retell the story of the Maccabees to our children, about Mattathias and his five sons who fought against King Antiochus and the Syrians. When Mattathias grew too old, his son Judah, known as Judah Maccabee led the Jews to victory and reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem. Only enough oil was found to relight the Ner Tamid, the Eternal Light, for one day but miraculously it continued to burn for eight days. We light the candles each night as we recall our divine deliverance from persecution. There is no dispute about the story.