May God bless Israel and the Jewish people everywhere!
USA Today: Hanukkah festivities begin with candle lighting
Jews around the world ushered in the eight-day Hanukkah festival Saturday evening, lighting the first candles of ceremonial lamps that symbolize triumph over oppression.
In Israel, families gathered after sundown for the lighting, eating traditional snacks of potato pancakes and doughnuts and exchanging gifts.
Local officials lit candles set up in public places, while families displayed the nine-candle lamps, called menorahs, in their windows or in special windproof glass boxes outside.
Hanukkah, also known as the festival of lights, commemorates the Jewish uprising in the second century B.C. against the Greek-Syrian kingdom, which had tried to impose its culture on Jews and adorn the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem with statues of Greek gods.
The holiday lasts eight days because according to tradition, when the Jews rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem, a single vial of oil, enough for one day, burned miraculously for eight.
For many Jewish people, the holiday symbolizes the triumph of good over evil.
Thanks for this post Tammy! Hannukah to me symbolizes the most important contribution of the Jewish people to the world: that you never have to surrender your ideals, that you never have to give up hope, and that with strength, faith, courage, and righteousness, you can never be defeated.
Also, never forget that the rededicated temple fought for and won by the Maccabees, now sits buried under the rubble of that stinkin’ Islamic victory mosque in Jerusalem. They are now digging below it to remove and destroy the archaeological record of the Jewish temple on that site.
Thanks for this post, Tammy, from all the “J-TAMS” (h/t flaggman for that one)
Chanukah (or Hanukkah, or Hannukah, or…whatever…no official spelling ruling on this) has always been a time for potato latkes (potato pancakes). Israelis had added jelly donuts (“sufganiyot”) to the holiday fare. In the last few years, this has really caught on in the U.S. And so, everywhere I go, there seems to be huge piles of these jelly donuts. They look wonderful. They are fluffy. They ooze sweet jelly. They are sprinkled with powdered sugar. I can hear them calling my name.
Please wish me courage, TAMS, as I try not to indulge.
This video is from last year: “8 days of donut madness in Israel”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6THYdoz7LIo
Danged they look yummy, where can I get some to help my brothers celebrate this wonderful tradition? 🙂
OMGosh. I did not know about the donuts! Alcohol and donuts,how wonderful is that for Hannukah?
As a cop who doesn’t eat “cop bait” I can only say. “Mmmmmmmmm Donuts!” (best Homer voice)
I am a big fan of latkes, I have my own evil recipe that combines the latke and pancake batter to make the superlatke breakfast pancake. (the trick is a little garlic powder and a touch of Celtic sea salt)
I do hope that our Jewish friends have a blessed Holiday and may their lamp continue to shine when all hands are turned against them. Ah, if only I could hug all 12 tribes.
Happy Hanukkah!
Happy Hanukkah!
To all TAM-JOOS: Happy Hannukah! Give us 8 days of rowdy! Israel go Braugh! 🙂