The History of Hanukkah: Story & Origins

My Grandfather, the Walking Miracle

Enduring 18 concentration camps, he was saved by a shovel, a siren, and horse manure.

The Holocaust Menorah

A moving photo and the menorah that bears testimony to the eternal Jewish nation.

How a Hurricane Relief Mission Prepared Me for Chanukah

The devastation was immense. What could we really do to help?

Menorahs in Montana

The Schnitzer family had no idea that their children’s Hanukkah pictures would spark an anti-Semitic attack and galvanize a whole community.

Seeing More with One Eye

Luis Salazar and a new look at the miracle of Hanukkah.

My Yellow Sticky Hanukkah

In the midst of the office Christmas party, I shocked myself by asking, “Are we doing anything for Hanukkah?”

Putting God into the Equation

The Hanukkah menorah reminds us that small miracles still happen.

My First Hanukkah in Communist Russia

No one saw my pitiful menorah. Little did I know how that small flame would grow into a huge light.

Merry Shpitzvinkel!

How my father’s journey from Santa Claus to a gift-lugging dog in a drainpipe led me to Judaism, sort of.

Queen Shlomtzion: In the Spirit of the Maccabees

Another instance in Jewish history when a woman saves the day.

 

A Menorah in Bergen Belsen

Sometimes miracles happen in the darkest places.

When Christmas and Hanukkah Crashed

For the first time in my life, I was the only Jew in the group.

Chanukah, 1942

Spreading the light in Nazi-occupied France.

Why Dreidel?

On Hanukkah we recognize the miracle of nature.

Chanukah in Bergen Belsen

The rabbi was desperately looking for a small light in the sea of dark despair.

Feeling Like I'm the Only Jewish Girl in the World

Growing up in Iowa, I was the only Jewish child in the auditorium during the Christmas recital.

The Holiday Card

A small Chanukah miracle for a lonely Jewish soldier in Iraq.

Chanukah in the Soviet Gulag

When the enemy answered "amen."

Chanukah in Iowa

I was the only Jewish child in the auditorium, and sometimes felt I was the only Jewish girl in the entire world.

A Chanukah Carol

In one moment of silence, my Jewish identity was born.

A Jewish Child on Christmas

My parents succeeded in creating a wonderful Christmas - yet inside me something was amiss.

Light in the Strangest of Places

At a Grateful Dead concert one Chanukah, I felt like the only Jew in the world. Then an amazing thing happened.

My Last Line of Defense

How Chanukah kept me Jewish when all else failed.

Hippie Chanukah

Amidst the pre-Xmas frenzy, a group of idealistic college students unexpectedly discover Chanukah's quiet illumination.

Chanukah Lights Dancing

Chanukah's tiny lights brazenly face the night's bitter challenge, transforming fear into a soft caress of hope.

A Great Miracle Happened

As a Jew, I was always a little different. That would become my greatest asset.

Chanukah in Baghdad

An American Jewish soldier of Iraqi descent lights the Menorah in Saddam Hussein's palace.

My Holocaust-Spoon Chanukah

A concentration camp survivor recalls the ingenuity behind a memorable Chanukah observance.

Holocaust Oil

Elijah's light still shines.

Holocaust Miracle

As in the Time of the Maccabees, a great miracle happened.

Holocaust Survival

With the help of God, the Jewish people will outlive their cruel foes and emerge triumphant in the end.

California Dreamin'

God shines Chanukah light into the seemingly darkest place.

Christmas in Brooklyn

My parents had no clue why they lit the electric menorah on Chanukah.

The Way We Were

In my time, Chanukah gifts meant only a dime. It also meant potato latkes and a visit to grandma.

The Piercing Shaft of Light

Each of us has a dark spot concealed from ourselves due to overwhelming pain and shame. How do we turn on the lights?

The Night the Rebbe Danced the Kazatsky

Who could do the kazatzky like Mendel? No one, including the Cossacks who guarded the Czar himself.

Chanukah Eyes

How can our homemade menorahs compete with all the dazzling lights of Christmas?

Dr. Mitzvah - Chanukah

Dr. Mitzvah delivers some light.

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