Sundown Marks First Night of Hanukkah

At sundown tonight, people of the Jewish faith begin the celebration of Hanukkah, also known as the ‘festival of lights’.

The miracle of the holiday happened when one vile of oil burned for eight nights. The oil was used to rededicate the ‘Holy Temple’ in Israel after the religious warriors, the Maccabees, defeated the Syrians for their independence.

“It’s about the right to worship as you want. It’s a festival of religious freedom… ‘A great miracle happened here’, and I think someone devised this great game to get the message to the kids,” says Deborah Adler, a teacher at Congregation Sha’Arey Israel.

Those celebrating will play games like ‘dreidel’ and exchange small gifts. Adler says this is a family oriented holiday.