Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on December 21, 2019

captionHanukkah candles.sourceJACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Many Jewish holidays can be summed up as We fought, we won, now lets eat, and Hanukkah is no exception.

The story goes that while the Jews were living under the Greek empire around 166 BC, King Antiochus IV outlawed Judaism and defiled the Holy Temple that stood in Jerusalem by sacrificing pigs on the altar. A small Jewish army called the Maccabees led a rebellion against the Greeks and won. When they returned to the Temple to relight the ritual menorah (candelabra), they only found enough oil to last one day, but it miraculously lasted eight.

Jewish people commemorate the Maccabees victory during Hannukah by lighting a menorah for eight nights and eating fried foods made with oil.

Hanukkah is one of the most recognizable, widely celebrated Jewish holidays around the world for good reason. Here are 13 reasons why we cant get enough of the Festival of Lights.

Thats eight days of parties, presents, and festive foods.

They go perfectly with applesauce, sour cream, and a variety of dipping sauces.

In addition to a jelly filling, some sufganiyot are filled with chocolate or custard.

Bimuelos, a Ladino variation on the Spanish buneolos, were a popular dish with Spanish Jews known as Marranos in the 15th to 17th centuries.

They come in milk and dark chocolate varieties.

Because of Hanukkahs proximity to Christmas, some people have a custom to give gifts of money instead of material goods in order to distinguish the holiday traditions.

Dreidel is Yiddish for spinning top. It has four sides with a different Hebrew letter on each one. Players start with a supply of coins, chocolate or otherwise, and take turns spinning. Depending on which letter the top lands on, they put a coin in the middle, skip their turn, win half of the coins, or take home the entire pot.

Legend has it that when the Greeks outlawed Jewish practices, people would continue studying sacred texts in secret and whip out this simple game if anyone asked what they were doing.

Because you dont hear Hanukkah songs blasted in shopping malls starting from Thanksgiving, you can actually enjoy them. And Jewish a cappella groups like the Maccabeats and Y-Studs put out Hannukkah-themed parodies of popular hits every year, so the playlist never feels stale.

Hanukkah concerts often include latkes and sufganiyot as part of the ticket price. Win-win.

Good food, good music what more can you ask for from a holiday party?

Publicizing the miracle of Hanukkah is an important tradition with origins in the Talmud. Many organizations hold public menorah lightings in cities around the world.

It doesnt take more than a few minutes to light the flames, recite the blessings, and sing a song or two, but its a memorable tradition.

Holiday lights can create some eye-catching displays, but cozying up to watch flickering candles burn down on a winter night has a magic all its own.

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13 reasons everyone should be sad they dont celebrate Hanukkah - Business Insider

Category: Talmud
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