Decorate your room with these
holiday pictures. Just add color!
TEXT AND ILLUSTRATIONS
BY ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
1. More than 2,000 years ago, a
Syrian king named Antiochus (An-
TIE-oh-kiss) demanded that all the
Jews give up their religion. But the
Jews refused to do so. A brave man
named Judah Maccabee decided to
lead the Jewish people in a battle
against Antiochus. Judah Maccabee
and his army drove the Syrians out of
the Land of Israel and reclaimed the
Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple.
2. Unfortunately, when Judah
Maccabee and his men entered the
Temple they saw that it was in a terri-
ble disarray. The Jews were deter-
mined, however, to restore the Beit
HaMikdash. So they worked long and
hard and the Temple was once again
beautiful. At last, the priests were
ready to hold a service. They wanted
to kindle a large menorah that stood
in the Beit HaMikdash and saw that
they had enough oil for only one
night. Then a miracle occurred: the oil
that was supposed to have lasted for
just one day instead lasted for eight
3. Today, we remember the miracles
that happened to the Jewish people so
lona b ago. We remember that God
helped Judah Maccabee and his men
with the battle against the Syrians, and
we remember how the oil burned in
the menorah for eight days. We cele-
brate by lighting our own menorahs,
one candle for each night. We also cel-
ebrate by eating latkes (potato pan-
cakes cooked in oil, reminding us of
the oil used in the Temple menorah).
4. On Chanukah, many children play
with a dreidel, which has the Hebrew
letters Nun, Gimmel, Hey, Shin,
which stands for Nes Gadol Haya
Sham, a Great Miracle Happened
There. In Israel, dreidels have the let-
ters Nun, Gimmel, Hey, Peh for nes
Gadol Haya Po, a Great Miracle
Happended Here. Some families play
a game with the dreidel and chocolate
coins, called gelt. What is your
favorite part of Chanukah? What are
your family's traditions on the holiday?
Happy Chanukah!
11/28
2003
11G