In a time of darkness, Hanukkah brings us the light

On the evening of Thursday, Dec. 7, Hanukkah will begin. It will end on the evening of Friday, Dec. 15. People from all over the world who are Jewish will be celebrating this holiday. Hanukkah has been called the Festival of Lights and comes at the darkest time of the year. This year, Hanukkah comes at a dark time in our country and with the violence that is happening all over the world.

Hanukkah has a violent history. Around 200 BCE, Judea was under the control of Antiochus III. Judea was also known as the Land of Israel.

Antiochus was considered the king of Syria and allowed people that were Jewish to practice their religion. In 170 BCE, Antiochus’ son Antiochus IV, came to power and this all changed. Antiochus the IV outlawed the Jewish religion and ordered people that were Jewish to worship Greek gods.

In 168 BCE, his troops invaded Jerusalem and massacred thousands of people and destroyed the city’s sacred second temple. An altar to Zeus was constructed, and a pig was sacrificed upon the altar.

Mattathias, a Jewish priest, and his five sons led a full-scale invasion against Antiochus IV and his monarchy. In 166 B.C.E. after his father’s death, Judah Macabee, “The Hammer”, took over. Within two years Judah Maccabee and his group of Jewish soldiers, the Maccabees, drove the Syrians out of Jerusalem. They used guerilla warfare tactics. The Second Temple was cleansed, and the altar was rebuilt. The gold candelabrum was lit and kept burning every night. The candelabrum, now known as the menorah, had seven branches. The seven branches of the menorah signified knowledge and creation.

As the story goes, the “eternal flame” in the temple had gone out when Antiochus IV controlled the city. After the Syrians were driven out of Jerusalem, it has been said, the Maccabees searched for oil to light the temple flame but could only find enough oil for the flame to stay lit for one day. Though, when the flame was lit it lasted for eight days, until more oil could be found. Therefore, the eight days and miracle of Hanukkah.

The story of Hanukkah celebrates freedom from oppression. It also supports and celebrates freedom of religious expression. The story of Hanukkah reminds me of the horrific slaughter of Israelis by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas is a terrorist group that wants to wipe out Israel and the Jewish people from the face of the Earth. It is a time when people who are Jewish are trying to stand up to Jewish hate, and for me hate in general. Right now, in this country and all over the world, people who are Jewish are afraid. For some, this means hiding their identity.

Many are angry with President Biden yet seem to forget a very important fact. President Biden’s involvement in the talks for returning the hostages that Hamas horrifically kidnapped, including a 4-year-old American-israeli citizen, Abigail Mor Eden, was the reason many of the hostages have been freed. President Biden’s influence on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has brought some restraint. It might not seem like this is the case, but without Biden’s influence this could be even worse.

I am sad to be Jewish, to be torn between the defending of Israel and the killing of civilians in the Gaza Strip.

My electric menorah will stay in my window and lit while my heart and soul are with all the people in Israel and the Gaza Strip that are suffering so. This represents the darkness that I am feeling and the pain this year as Hanukkah approaches and is permeating the hearts and souls of so many people in this country and all over the world. For all of us in this time of darkness, we hope and pray for peace.