Hanukkah Description
The eight-day Festival of Lights commemorating the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire and the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BCE. Each evening, Jewish families light an additional candle on the hanukkiah (nine-branched menorah), placing it in windows for public display. Traditional foods fried in oil — sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) and levivot (potato latkes) — are eaten everywhere. Children play dreidel and receive gelt (money or chocolate coins). Schools are closed for the full eight days, though government offices and many businesses operate. Public spaces and streets glow with hanukkiah displays, and Jerusalem's Old City is particularly beautiful during this winter festival.
