ALPENA — While many families celebrate the miracle of Christmas and their decorative lights abound, many Jews celebrate a different miracle and festival of lights.

Chanukah (also spelled Hanukkah) is an eight-day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. This year, Chanukah begins at sunset on Wednesday, Dec. 25, and ends at sunset on Thursday, Jan. 2.

In Alpena, the members of Temple Beth-El are preparing to celebrate Chanukah.

“Chanukah is a joyous holiday celebrating the miracle of the oil,” said Ken Diamond, president of the congregation at Temple Beth-El in Alpena.

The holiday celebrates the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greek regime of Antiochus, who attempted to Hellenize the Jews and abolish many Jewish practices, such as observing Shabbat (Sabbath) and studying the Torah (Bible). When the Temple in Jerusalem was desecrated by requiring the sacrifice of pigs on the altar, a small band of the devout, led by Matitiyahu the Priest and his son Judah Maccabee, led a successful rebellion against the much larger and powerful Syrian army. Afterward, the Maccabees returned to the Temple, cleared it of idols, built a new altar and rededicated it. When they went to relight the menorah (a seven-branch candelabra that was meant to burn eternally), they found only a vial of pure oil sufficient to burn one day, but miraculously, it burned for eight days, thus allowing enough time to consecrate additional oil.

To commemorate the miracle of Chanukah, a Hanukkiah is lit for eight days, and prayers of blessing and thanks are said. The Hanukkiah holds nine candles: one for each night, plus a shamash (servant or attendant) at a different height.

“Families light candles in their homes — one for each day, in the evening,” Diamond explained. “The ninth candle is used to light the others. You light one each night, and there are blessings that are said each night as you light the candles. The ninth candle is the working candle, and that’s called a shamash.”

The shamash is used to light the other candles on the Hanukkiah.

“The songs that are sung around the holiday are a lot of children’s songs,” Diamond said. “They are either in Hebrew or English.”

Children have many things to look forward to during Chanukah.

“It’s a holiday the kids enjoy as well, playing games and getting presents,” Diamond said.

A fun tradition on Chanukah, according to Diamond, is to play the Dreidel Game (a small top) for pennies, nuts, or candies, such as M&M’s or chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil. A dreidel (Sevivon in Hebrew) is marked with four Hebrew letters: Nun, Gimmel, Heh, and Shin. This stands for the Hebrew phrase “nes gadol hayah sham,” meaning “a great miracle happened there.” In Israel, they say “a great miracle happened here.”

Because of the significance of oil to the holiday, it is traditional to eat fried foods on Chanukah, such as latkes (potato pancakes) and Sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts).

“Typically, you either exchange a small gift each day, depending on what their family tradition is, or one big gift for the entire period,” Diamond said.

“Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, brings light, joy, and warmth to our homes and communities as we celebrate with candles, food, family, and friends,” a press release from Temple Beth-El states. “Light comes literally, with the lighting of an additional candle each day, and metaphorically, through a newer emphasis on charitable donations and a commitment to tikkun olam (repair of the world) during the holiday.”

The members of Temple Beth-El Alpena wish you all a joyous, meaningful season of miracles and lights.

Darby Hinkley is Lifestyles editor. She can be reached at 989-358-5691 or dhinkley@TheAlpenaNews.com.