Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Hanukkah to all of my fabulous Jewish friends

Today (December 20th) is the first day of Hanukkah in this year’s calendar. To all of my Jewish friends, and the many new friends from the Jewish community I’ve made over the past year, Happy Hanukkah! A simple explanation of this holiday comes from the Washington Post:

“Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem in 165 BCE after the Temple had been profaned by the Hellenistic Emperor Antiochus IV.

At the time of the rededication, there was just one day’s worth of pure oil left that was needed to keep the Temple menorah burning. But tradition says a great miracle happened: It lasted for eight days.

Each year, Jews light candles in their hanukkiot (Hanukkah menorahs) to symbolize the miracle. On the first night of Hanukkah, one candle is placed in the menorah. On each successive night, another candle is added. By the last night of Hanukkah, eight candles are glowing brightly in celebration of this beautiful festival.