Today is the last day of the eight day celebration of Hanukkah, a Jewish celebration that began on Thanksgiving Day this year. If you have seen any eight-candled menorahs lit in windows in your neighborhood, then you have seen the primary decoration of this holiday season for the Jewish people. The menorah plays a very significant role in the history of Hanukkah.
I happened upon a downloadable book, that talks about the history of Hanukkah, in all of its very sad detail...it was a pre-cursor in 145 BC to the Holocaust of the 20th century. Women who circumcised their babies according to the law of God were killed and their babies hung by the neck...those who helped to circumcise were also killed...yet many held faithful to God in spite of this terrible persecution. The entire story is found in a Jewish writing called 1 and 2 Maccabees. In it is told of the bravery of many specific Jews, cited by name, but, as always, these were fewer in number than those who surrendered to the enemy in fear of their lives; who began doing things that were forbidden by God, but demanded by a tyrant by the name of Antiochus IV.
I have added the link below, if you want to download the book...it is a small book...with excerpts taken from 1 and 2 Maccabees about the incident involving Antiochus and the Jewish Maccabees (Maccabees means Hammers) who rose up against him to end his terrible tyranny. [There are several blank pages that follow the cover page, but just scroll on down until you get to the beginning of the book.]
Hanukkah is the celebration of the end of this holocaust.
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