Read the stories then click on the links below it to do the exercises.
THE CHANUKAH STORY
From year to year we look forward to this wonderful holiday of light and cheer. As we watch the candles burning each night, we think back to a time a little more than 2,100 years ago.
Our Jewish ancestors lived in Palestine in those days. But they were not free people. Their freedom was taken away from them by the king of Syria. whose name was Antiochus.
One of the things that the Jews loved more than anything else was their Temple. It was a beautiful building. Jews from all over the world would come to the Temple in the city of Jerusalem, to offer prayers and sacrifices.
But now, they could not do this any longer. The Syrians had taken over the Temple, and the priests who served in the Temple were forced to do what the Syrians commanded. Antiochus even commanded that an idol be put up in the Temple and that all Jews bow down to it. The Jews were also forced to do many other things that were against their religion. All this made them very unhappy and they yearned for the day when they would be free again.
Among the Jews were brave men who became their leaders. Mattatias was one of these men. He had five brave sons. Of all his sons we remember Judah the best. He was called Judah the Maccabee (Maccabee means ‘hammer’). Judah was brave: he was strong and fearless. Soon, all the Jews who joined the army of Judah became known as the Maccabees.
The Maccabees won one battle after another and soon were able to chase the Syrian soldiers from the Temple. The idol was crushed and a great celebration was held. But they needed pure oil to light the Temple menorah.
All they could find was a little jug of oil that was enough to burn for one day. It would take a long time to prepare new oil. So they used the oil from the little jug anyway. And behold, a miracle! Instead of burning for one day only, it lasted for eight days, until new oil could be prepared. The Jews were glad and happy and free once again.
CHANUKAH IN ISRAEL
The days are so short in Israel in midwinter that it’s dark when you get up for school and it’s dark again when you get home. Just in time you take down the chanukiyah and for eight nights you and you family brighten the darkness by lighting Chanukah candles.
The people of modern Israel feel very close to Judah and his brave followers, the Maccabees. Just like the ancient Maccabees, modern Israelis are fighting to keep their country free.
Although it often rains in December, Israelis climb up to the mountainside village of Modi'in, where Judah was born. Runners light torches at Modi'in and carry them down the mountains. The burning torches are handed from runner to runner until they reach the Kotel (the Western Wall) in Jerusalem. There, the torch from Modi'in lights the chanukiah, the eight-branched menorah atop the ancient wall.
Big electric chanukiyot shine from the tops of office buildings and large ones are lit in public squares. The flames from Chanukah candles and oil chanukiyot flicker in windows all across the land. Chanukah torches blaze on the mountain of Masada, where other fighters for freedom once lived. For eight days all of Israel sparkles with lights.
Like in Australia, kids get presents and make presents to give to their families. They play dreidel and eat latkes and sufganiyot (jam-filled doughnuts). There’s no school for the eight days of the holiday, so many Israelis escape the chill and rain by going south to the Dead Sea and sunny Eilat.
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