Story of Hanukkah

By Frank J. Finamore

Hardcover 1997 55p. 7.25"x5.25"x0.25" From the First book of Maccabees;From the Second book of Maccabees;The Martyrdom of EleZAR;THE SEVEN BROTHERS AND THEIR MOTHER;Candlelighting;Al ha-nissm;Games... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0517183609
• ISBN13: 9780517183601
• Release Date: August 1997
• Publisher: Testament
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.3" x 0.5" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Feast of Dedication

Hanukkah is the Jewish Feast of Light or Feast of Dedication. The Hebrew word hanukkah means dedication. The Hanukkah holiday begins on the eve of the 25th day of Kislev , and lasts eight days. It usually falls in the month of December. The Apocryphal books of the Maccabees tells the story of Hanukkah. The first part of this wonderful little book tells this story in the First Book of the Maccabees. It tells how in 165 BCE , after a three year revolt , the Jews of the Land of Israel , led by Judas Maccabaeus and his brothers , defeated the Syrian tyrant Antiouchus IV , who had turned the temple into a pagan shrine and brutally tried to force the Jews to abandon their religion and nationhood. The Jews held festivals in the Temple and re-dedicated it to G-D.After cleaning the Temple of Syrian idols , they found only one small cruse of oil with which to light their holy lamps. But miraculously , the cruse provided oil for eight days. Judas Maccabaeus then proclaimed a festival to be observed by Jews. The second part of the book is taken from the Second Book of Maccabees and tells two tales of the heroic martyrdom of Jews during the brutal persecution by the Syrians. The Martyrdom of Eleazar and The Seven Brothers and their Mother. With the rebirth of the State of Israel , Hanukkah celebrates the heroic resolve of the Jewish spirit and it's eternal faith in G-D. The third part of the book outlines the Hanukkah celebration. During Hanukkah gifts are exchanged and contributions made to the poor. Each evening , one additional candle is lighted on the Hanukkah menorah or hanukkiah. By the end of the evening eight lighted candles stand together. The book describes the candle lighting ceremony , the special benediction Al ha-Nissim and somes of the games played by Jewish children during Hanukkah. Lastly there is a section of recipes for some of the delicious foods eaten during the festival such as potato latkes , loukoumades (fried honey puffs traditionally enjoyed by Sephardic Jews from Greece and Turkey). Soofganiyot (jelly doughnuts) , the favourite treat eaten in Israel during Hanukkah , and Sukariyot Soomsoom - crunchy sesame seeds , very popular among sephardic families at Hanukkah time.