Sentinel Opinion: Happy Hannukah; The eight-day miracle has grown in seasonal significance through the years

Antiochus IV ruled Syria from 175 to 164 B.C. (or, BCE, the period often referred to as Before the Common Era). He did not like the Jewish faith or its teachings, and he used his power to suppress it. He decreed that keeping the Sabbath, teaching the Torah and observing Jewish law were punishable by death. He went so far as to order Jews to eat pork — a meat prohibited under kosher laws — in the sacred Temple of Jerusalem.

That’s when revolutionary Judah Maccabee and the number eight enter the picture.

On the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, Judah Maccabee and a handful of men liberated the temple from the forces of Antiochus IV. (The Jewish calendar is based on the lunar year, and this year that anniversary fell on Dec. 18.) They kicked out Antiochus’s men, and began rededicating the sacred place.

Immediately, they lit the eternal flame. And, immediately, they found only enough untainted oil to last for one day. But, according to the legend, the oil used to light the flame was no ordinary oil; it was holy oil. Miraculously, it lasted eight days — long enough for a messenger to return with a further supply.

Although the eight-day Hanukkah Festival of Lights is, in religious terms, considered a minor holiday in the Jewish tradition of celebrations, it has grown in importance in Western countries, as Jews have sought to proclaim their identity surrounded by symbols of Christmas.

But the more-than-2,100-year-old story of Hanukkah has broader appeal that reaches beyond the Jewish faith, for the story recounts one of the first recorded triumphs in the name of religious freedom over suppression. That’s something everyone — whether of the Jewish, Christian or any other faith, or even of no faith — should celebrate in this country rooted in religious tolerance.

It’s fitting, then, that this year there will for the first time be a public celebration of Hanukkah on Keene’s Central Square, on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 5 p.m. A menorah will be lit in a ceremony with local dignitaries joining Rabbi Daniel Aronson of Keene’s Congregation Ahavas Achim, with traditional Hanukkah foods and music. It promises to be a reaffirming community gathering that points up the value of heritage and tradition as part of a festival that honors a miracle by lighting a menorah as a symbol of hope shining through darkness. That’s something for all to celebrate. Happy Hanukkah.