HANNUKAH

A Jewish tradition, a celebration of freedom Although not a biblical holiday, Hannukah is the first historically recorded struggle for the practice of religious freedom (notwithstanding Passover, celebrated in Spring). Marking a struggle beginning as early as 175 B.C.E, Hannukah commemorates an escape from the oppressive governing rule of Antiochus IV, ruler of the Seleucid Kingdom (present-day Syria). With the death of Alexander the Great, a leader who incorporated Judea into the Greek Empire under the religiously permissive rule of cultural pluralism, his empire was divided as control over Judea shifted from the hands of the Ptolemies (present-day Egypt) to those of the Seleucid. Assuming rule in the Seleucid, Antiochus strayed from the policies of his predecessors and embarked on an effort to eliminate all national and religious differences among his subjects, in effect withholding the right for Jews to practice their faith, or any faith diverging from Syrian-Greek Hellenism.
The Maccabees: fighting for freedom In response, in 1668 B.C.E Judah Maccabee* spawned a 20- year revolution for religious freedom. His followers, known as the Maccabees , defeated the Syrian armies of King Antiochus. Their Temple, however, was left destroyed with enough holy oil to light only one night. Miraculously, the oil lasted eight nights. Hannukah celebrates these eight nights of light leading to the existence of an independent Jewish state. *Maccabee is a Hebrew word meaning "hammer," and can also be understood as an acronym of the first letters of "Mi Kamocha BaAylim Adonai," meaning "who among the mighty is like you, Oh God?"
Festival of faith Hannukah is, essentially, a celebration of freedom, symbolizing the fight against totalitarianism in all forms, and in all religions. Though seemingly unrelated to Christmas, this holiday encapsulates a movement that allowed all faiths to evolve, including Christianity.
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