The eight-day Jewish celebration known as Hanukkah or Chanukah commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt. Hanukkah, which means “dedication” in Hebrew, begins on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar and usually falls in November or December. Often called the Festival of Lights, the holiday is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah, traditional foods, games and gifts.

We will begin by students sharing what their family does for the holiday so that we can learn a little about each other. We then watch a short video about the holiday giving a nice introduction. After the video I give a lecture all about the holiday including its ancient past, how it came to be, and its present. I'll then ask some questions related to the lecture and students will give their responses. Students may want to scribble down some notes during my lecture. After the lecture we will watch another video about how other countries celebrate the holiday and have a class discussion about it. Then everyone will have an opportunity to play some online games such as a crossword puzzle, word search, and a few others to reinforce what we have learned.

By learning about holidays, we learn more about different cultures and especially history in a secular mode.