The Feast of Lights or the Feast of the Rededication of the Jerusalem Temple. Hanukkah begins in Sunday evening. A new candle shines every evening on an eight-branch candlestick. The holiday itself refers to historical events connected with the victorious battle of the Maccabees over the Syrian-Greek king Antiochus-Epiphanes IV. These should have taken place in 167 BC.

The reign of Antiochus was marked by despotism and heightened religious intolerance. He banned the rites of the Jewish faith, dishonored the Jerusalem temple...