HANUKKAH (festival of lights)
Hanukkah is celebrated for 8 days and nights starting on the 25th of Kislev (Hebrew calendar) which coincides with November-December. The holiday commemorates the rededications of the Temple in Jerusalem in 165BCE.
In 168BCE Jerusalem was taken over by Syrian Greeks and the Temple was turned into a shrine for Zeus. This enraged the Jewish population. Judah Maccabee organized a group of soldiers to rebel against the Syrians and in 165BCE they were able to oust the Syrians from Jerusalem. The community decided to have a large rededication ceremony. But, they realized that there was only enough oil to light the menorah for one day. They lit it and began the ceremony hoping to get as far as they could. Miraculously, the menorah stayed lit for 8 days with only one days supply of oil.
HIGH HOLY DAYS
The High Holy Days are comprised of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This is the 10 days period between the first day (Rosh Hashanah) and the tenth day (Yom Kippur) of the month of Tishri.
ROSH HASHANAH
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YOM KIPPUR (Day of Atonement)
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