Hanukkah in the ghetto
Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Greeks in the 2nd Century BC.
According to Jewish tradition, when the temple was rededicated, there was only enough oil to keep the temple Menorah (lamp) burning for one day. Miraculously, the Menorah stayed lit for eight days. To this day, this miracle is publicly celebrated by lighting a special Hanukkah lamp for eight days, adding one more light each night.
During the Holocaust, observance of Jewish festivals was restricted. In some places, Jews were forbidden to hold their religious rituals altogether. In other places Jews found it difficult to celebrate the holidays because of the harsh conditions in which they were forced to live.
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