Today we’re going read about Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday that lasts eight nights and days.
Hanukkah marks an event over 2,000 years ago when the Jewish people, led by the Maccabees, took back their holy temple in Jerusalem from Greek control. They had only a small amount of lamp oil, enough for just one day, but it burned in the temple’s menorah for eight days, giving the people time to prepare more oil. This miracle is why Hanukkah is called the Festival of Lights and why lighting the menorah is a central tradition.
Like other winter celebrations around the world, Hanukkah honors light and hope. It takes place close to the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year. The menorah, with its glowing candles, symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness, much like how many solstice celebrations welcome the sun’s return and longer days ahead.
What’s Next….
We’ll learn more about Hanukkah with these projects and readings:
- We’ll going make our own Dreidels and then break into groups to play a version of the Dreidel Game called Fraction Dreidel.
- Before we head into Reading and Vocabulary work, we’re going to make Gelt S’mores.
- Reading and Vocabulary work about Hannukah
- The Middle East has been in the news every day. Some of the stories we’re hearing go back a long way. We’re going to look at the same region at both periods of time. Use your worksheet to think about how the region is the same and how it is different.
