Learning About Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights

When incorporating a multi-cultural lesson plan into your school or home activities, it's important to always discuss how different cultures and groups of people live, work, play and believe. The importance of multi-cultural education is to make sure children grow up understanding that while they and their family might live one way, that isn't the best way for everyone else. We strive to teach that every culture has beauty, knowledge, and worth.

For the Jewish holiday Hanukkah the easiest way to teach this lesson is to begin with the ancient story. Many people assume that Hanukkah celebrates an event that is in the Bible or Torah, the Jewish Holy Books. But it is not mentioned in the Old Testament at all.

The 8 day, 2,000 year old celebration often called the Festival of Lights, celebrates a victory of the Jewish people over their enemies and the freedom that they enjoy today. In about 165 B.C.E., Antiochus, a Greek who was king of Syria, invaded the kingdom of Judea, where many Jews lived. The story goes that he wanted them to forsake their God and embrace his Greek gods. The Jews refused and so the soldiers attacked the Temple in Jerusalem, killing many Jews, stealing the revered artifacts from the Temple and even the sacred lamp of the temple, the Menorah.The soldiers dumped the special oil that was used to keep the Menorah burning all over the floor of the Temple and they let pigs come roam in the temple. Pigs were considered an unclean animal by the Jewish people. The soldiers brought in food and drink, played noisy games and would not allow the Jews to come into the temple to worship.

There was an old man name Mattahias who decided to fight the Greek soldiers of Antiochus. He gathered his sons and other familes to join him and they began to fight back.One of his son was Judah the Maccabee who led a armed band of men fighting the enemy. For two years they fought trying to rid the land of the invaders. Finally on a cold winters night, Maccabee and his followers surrounded the city of Jerusalem and the Greek soldiers were forced to surrender when they ran out of food and water. The Jews were finally free.

Of course, the first thing they had to do was to clean up the temple and relight the holy Menorah, but because the oil had all been destroyed and ruined by the enemy, they only found enough oil to last for one day. They knew they had to find more oil, but they also believed they had to light the lamp in the temple to reclaim it for their God. They didn't know how long it would be before more oil could be found. The lamp was cleaned and lit and instead of burning out in one night, it burned steady for eight days and with each day, the light was stronger and brighter.

Now Jewish families across the globe celebrate Hanukkah by lighting candles each day for eight day on special menorahs that have nine arms. During Hanukkah, special foods are eaten, gifts are exchanged and games are played as well as many prayers of thankfulness of the blessings and miracles that God has provided the Jewish people and for their continued freedom.

Hanukkah story link:

Hanukkah lesson activities:

Read the story above and discuss it with your child. Have pictures of a Menorah or an actual Menorah to reenact the lighting of the candle for 8 days on the dates of Hanukkah. Those dates change each year. This year Hanukkah begins on December 11.

You can make a Menorah with the directions found here

And you learn the correct name for the candles and how to place them here.

Jewish families generally say the following blessing as they light the Hanukkah candles. It's fun to try and say the words and wonder at their meaning.

Ba-ruch ata, A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu, me-lech ha-o-lam, a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mits-vo tov, ve-tsi-va-nu le-had-lik neir shel Chan-nu-kah.

Ba-ruch ata, A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu, me-lech ha-o-lam,she-a-sa ni-sim las-a-vo-tei-nu ba-ya-mim ha-heim ba-ze-man ha-zah.

Ba-ruch ata, A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu, me-lech ha-o-lam, she-he-chya-nu ve-ki-ya-ma-nu ve-hi-gi-a-nu las-man-ha-zeh.

From Wikipedia you can see the Jewish letters, the Jewish words in English letters and the translation into English. ‏

Transliteration: Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha‑olam, she‑asa nisim la‑avoteinu ba‑yamim ha‑heim ba‑z'man ha‑ze.

Translation: "Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the universe, Who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days at this time..."

Besides the lighting of the candles each night, playing the Driedel game and gathering some "gold" gelt is a popular Hanukkah activity for kids. You can make your owndriedel with pattern found here which also includes directions for the game.

This website has a wonderful explanation of the Driedel and it's significance to the Jewish people.

Sharing a Jewish storybook about Hanukkah is another good learning activity for the entire family.

Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat: A Chanukah Story

Any Hanukkah book found here!

And lastly, your lesson plan for Hanukkah should include making a traditional Hanukkah meal including some great potato Latkes. Check out the recipe listed here by this author.

Resources:

http://www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/resources/AJL%20STBA%20Hanukkah.pdf

http://www.amazon.com/Latkes-Good-Eat-Chanukah-Story/dp/061849295X%3FSubscriptionId%3D14H876SFAKFS0EHBYQ02%26tag%3Dhubp045c-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D061849295X

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Hanukkah/At_Home/Dreidel/How_To_Play.shtml