“Hebrew for “dedication,†this eight-day-long celebration commemorates just that: the purging and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BCE after the Jews’ successful uprising against the Greeks. Hanukkah features one of the best villains in all of Jewish history, Antiochus IV. As his nicknames—“the Illustrious†and “Bearer of Victoryâ€â€”suggest, the ruler […]
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