Chanukah
| Chanukah in the Bible books of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees |
http://bessel.org/chanbibl.htm |
| Chanukah clipart | http://bessel.org/chanart.htm |
The Jewish holiday of Chanukah (sometimes spelled Hanukah or other ways) is often referred to a a religious holiday, celebrating a miracle. It is said that when the Temple at Jerusalem was rededicated there was only enough oil for 1 day, but it lasted for 8 days.
There is also an undoubted historical explanation for this holiday. In some ways, it is the “Fourth of July” for Israel, because it commemorates the historically provable events that took place in 167 B.C.E. (“before common era,” a alternative for “before Christ”), when the Jews rose up against the Seleucid empire, fought against religious and political oppression, and achieved their independence. That independence lasted over a century.