This season, Hanukkah, the Jewish winter festival known as Chanukah, will be celebrated from Dec. 25-Jan. 2. According to the Jewish Agency for Israel, there are approximately 15.8 million Jews globally as of 2024. In the United States, a 2021 Pew Research Center report states that there are around 5.8 million Jewish adults and 2.8 million with Jewish heritage. Ken Hanson, an Associate Professor at UCF specializing in Judaic studies, offers insights into the customs and significance of this holiday. The Office of Institutional Equity also provides reminders to the campus community about respecting religious practices.
Hanukkah commemorates the events in ancient Israel when the Seleucids of Syria, led by Antiochus IV, persecuted the Jewish faith. The Maccabees, led by Mattathias and his sons, rebelled against this oppression, culminating in the liberation of Jerusalem. The term Hanukkah means dedication, marking the rededication of the temple after its desecration.
Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev and lasts for eight days, typically falling in December. A menorah is lit each night, symbolizing the miraculous burning of oil for eight days during the temple’s rededication. The nine-branched menorah, known as a Hanukkiah, is used during this holiday.
Another tradition of Hanukkah involves spinning a dreidel, a four-sided top with Hebrew letters representing a phrase about the miracle of Hanukkah. Participants often play this game with chocolate gelt or coins. Consuming foods like jelly-filled doughnuts and latkes fried in oil is also customary to commemorate the miracle of the lasting oil.
