To rededicate the Temple, they needed to burn oil in a candelabra, known in Hebrew as a menorah. They found a tiny amount of oil—enough for just one night, but miraculously, it burned for eight ...

Synagogues were classified as colleges to get around Roman laws banning secret societies and the temples were allowed to collect the yearly tax paid by all Jewish men for temple maintenance.

The word Hanukkah actually means dedication. Within the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was a menorah, a candelabra with seven branches. It’s one of the oldest and most important symbols in Judaism.