Yet there is a universal takeaway from the Hanukkah story that transcends religious boundaries: Genocidal dictators can be defeated. The Maccabees did it in ancient times, and Ukraine can do it today.

Christmas Day, Dec. 25, also marks the first night of Hanukkah. Maccabee's Kosher Deli on Polk Boulevard in Des Moines invites people of all faiths to help them light the menorah on all eight nights.

Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians and the re-dedication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem around 165 BC.

Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians and the re-dedication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem around 165 BC.

Hanukkah is one of the most famous holidays in the Jewish calendar, but here are facts about the Festival of Lights that you may not have known.

2. The word 'Hanukkah' means 'dedication' The holiday celebrates the triumph of a Maccabees in reclaiming their temple after it was desecrated by Syrian-Greeks.

On the one hand, Hanukkah marks the military victory of the Maccabees over their Assyrian occupational forces. It celebrates Jewish military might employed to protect the indigenous right to ...

The story of Hanukkah and the broader history of the Jewish people offers a crucial lesson for the world – particularly the new generation: the importance of personal responsibility over victimhood.

Hanukkah is a season of light and miracles and is also a poignant reminder that the people of Israel are now more than 400 days into a battle for our very survival.

Hanukkah, perhaps the only Jewish holiday that has been confirmed by the archaeological record, celebrates the singular, millennialong relationship between Jews and the land of Israel.

6. Hanukkah’s historical context is narrated in the four Books of the Maccabees, The Scroll of Antiochus and The Wars of the Jews.