126 Fun Facts About Hanukkah

Hanukkah is the only Jewish holiday to begin in one Hebrew month and end in another. Which two?

It starts on the 25th of Kislev, and because Kislev can have 29 or 30 days, the holiday sometimes ends on the 2nd of Tevet and sometimes the 3rd.

How many branches does a Hanukkah lamp have?

Eight hold the lights for the eight nights; the ninth holds the helper light, which must sit higher or lower than the rest.

What food, fried in oil, is a traditional Hanukkah dish made from potatoes?

They are an Ashkenazi staple; in Israel they have largely been displaced by jam-filled doughnuts, partly through the influence of the trade unions.

Besides lighting the candles, the one traditional Hanukkah obligation is reciting which set of psalms in full?

Hallel, Psalms 113 to 118, is recited in full on each of the eight days of Hanukkah, the complete version rather than the shortened 'half Hallel' used on some other days.

What does the word Hanukkah mean in Hebrew?

Hanukkah means 'dedication', recalling the rededication of the Temple altar in 164 BCE; a homiletic reading splits the word into 'they rested on the twenty-fifth' of Kislev.

What type of currency-shaped chocolate is given to children during Hanukkah?

The word means money, and the chocolate version was a 20th-century American confectioners' spin on an older custom of giving children real coins.

Which Jewish military leader led the revolt that Hanukkah celebrates?

Judah Maccabee took over the revolt from his father Mattathias around 166 BCE, retook Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple in 164 BCE, and died in battle against the Seleucids in 160 BCE.

In the rabbinic account of Hanukkah, the single cruse of undefiled oil the Maccabees found still bore whose unbroken seal?

The high priest's seal, that of the kohen gadol, marked the oil as undefiled; the story was written down about 600 years later and appears in neither Book of Maccabees.

Which comedian is famous for performing The Chanukah Song?

Adam Sandler first performed The Chanukah Song on Saturday Night Live in 1994. The song lists famous Jewish celebrities and became a Hanukkah pop culture staple.

On which evening of the festival are all the candles on the lamp lit together?

One light is added each evening, so the final night is the only one on which the whole row burns together with the helper light.

What are the four Hebrew letters on a dreidel?

The diaspora dreidel carries Nun, Gimel, Hei and Shin, the initials of a four-word Hebrew phrase; in the game each letter doubles as a Yiddish mnemonic telling the spinner what to do.

What jelly-filled pastry is a traditional Hanukkah treat in Israel?

Sufganiyot are the jam-filled doughnuts Polish immigrants brought to Israel as the ponchik; the Hebrew name comes from sfog, 'sponge', for the dough's texture, and bakeries now fill them with everything from caramel to cappuccino cream.

What is the helper candle on a hanukkiah called?

The shamash, Hebrew for 'attendant' or 'servant', stands apart from the other eight lights and is the one used to kindle them each night.

Which Seleucid king outlawed Jewish practices and desecrated the Temple, sparking the Maccabean revolt?

Antiochus IV Epiphanes turned the Jerusalem sanctuary over to a syncretic pagan cult in 167 BCE, and was the first Seleucid king to put divine epithets on his coins.

In which direction are candles placed in the hanukkiah each night?

Candles are placed in the hanukkiah from right to left (adding a new candle to the left each night), but they are lit from left to right, so the newest candle is always lit first.

What does the Hebrew phrase 'Nes Gadol Haya Sham' mean?

The phrase 'Nes Gadol Haya Sham' means 'A great miracle happened there,' referring to the miracle of the oil in the Temple. The first letters of each word appear on the dreidel.

Which traditional Hanukkah hymn's title translates to 'Rock of Ages'?

Ma'oz Tzur (Rock of Ages) is a Jewish liturgical hymn sung after lighting the Hanukkah candles. Written in the 13th century, it recounts God's deliverance of the Jewish people throughout history.

Which special passage is inserted into the Amidah and Grace After Meals during Hanukkah?

Al HaNissim ('For the Miracles') is a special addition to daily prayers and Grace After Meals during Hanukkah, thanking God for the miraculous deliverance of the Maccabees.

The Maccabean revolt against the Seleucids took place in which of these periods?

The main phase of the revolt ran from 167 to 160 BCE, but fighting with the Seleucids and Hellenized Jews dragged on until 134 BCE.

What is the Hebrew word for the dreidel spinning top?

In Hebrew, the dreidel is called a sevivon (from the root meaning 'to turn'). The word 'dreidel' comes from the Yiddish word 'dreyen,' also meaning 'to turn.'

On which TV show did Seth Cohen popularize the concept of 'Chrismukkah'?

Seth Cohen coined Chrismukkah on The O.C. in 'The Best Chrismukkah Ever', which aired on December 3, 2003, during the show's first season.

Which hymn is recited immediately after the Hanukkah lights have been kindled?

Hanerot Halalu, 'these lights', is recited right after kindling; it declares the lights sacred, to be looked at and not used for any practical purpose, which is why the helper light exists.

What family name did the Maccabees belong to?

The Maccabees were Hasmoneans; the Hasmonean dynasty they founded ruled Judea from 140 BCE until Herod's takeover in 37 BCE, and was fully independent of the Seleucids from about 110 BCE until Rome intervened in 63 BCE.

In Israel, how is the last letter on the dreidel different from the Diaspora version?

In Israel the Shin is replaced with Pei, changing the dreidel's last word from 'there' to 'here'; some Haredi communities keep the Shin, reading 'there' as the Temple site.

Which U.S. president hosted the first official White House Hanukkah party?

George W. Bush hosted the first official White House Hanukkah party in 2001; at his 2008 reception the menorah David Ben-Gurion had given Harry Truman in 1951 was lit by grandsons of both men.

What does the name 'Maccabee' most likely mean?

The Aramaic maqqaba is the likeliest root, a parallel to the Frankish leader Charles 'Martel', whose cognomen also means hammer.

What is the traditional game played with a dreidel for stakes?

Each player antes into a pot and spins: gimel takes everything, hei takes half, nun takes nothing and shin means put one in.

Why are foods fried in oil eaten during the holiday?

Fried foods recall the miracle of the Temple oil that burned far longer than its supply allowed; olive oil is preferred, and Sephardic families add fritters to potato pancakes and doughnuts.

Some eat dairy on Hanukkah to remember which heroine, who fed a general cheese and wine before beheading him?

Judith's book is not in the Tanakh but survives in the deuterocanon; she fed the Assyrian general Holofernes, who was besieging Bethulia, salty cheese and wine, then beheaded him in his tent.

The custom of giving children Hanukkah money is traced to which time and place?

The custom is traced to 17th-century Poland, where children passed the coins on to their teachers; poor yeshiva students also went door to door collecting 'Chanukah money' from benefactors.

What structure did the Maccabees rededicate after their victory?

The Maccabees rededicated the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE after recapturing it from the Seleucids. The First Temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians centuries earlier in 586 BCE.

In which Jewish text is the miracle of the oil lasting eight days first recorded?

The Talmud records it in tractate Shabbat 21b; the Books of Maccabees describe the rededication and the lamps but never mention oil lasting eight days.

According to Diodorus, the Seleucid king desecrated the Temple altar by sacrificing which animal on it?

Diodorus says Antiochus IV sacrificed a pig, a great sow, on the altar and had the Jewish scriptures sprinkled with broth made from its flesh, a pointed insult to the dietary laws.

The English Hanukkah song 'Oh Chanukah' invites everyone to dance which dance?

'Oh Chanukah' runs 'let's have a party, we'll all dance the horah'; it is a loose English version, not a translation, of Mordkhe Rivesman's Yiddish 'Oy Khanike', first published in 1912.

How many candles are used over all eight nights of Hanukkah, counting the helper candle each night?

Two are lit the first night, three the second and so on up to nine on the last, so a standard box holds 44.

Italian Jews traditionally deep-fry which meat for the holiday?

Roman Jews make pollo fritto per Chanuka, chicken marinated and deep-fried for the holiday; they also eat cassola, a ricotta pancake close to a cheesecake, and frittelle di riso, sweet fried rice fritters.

What was the village where the Maccabean revolt began?

Modiin, west of Jerusalem, was the home village of the priest Mattathias; after he defied the king's officer there in 167 BCE he fled to the hills with his sons and the revolt began.

Polybius says detractors punned Antiochus IV's title Epiphanes into a nickname meaning what?

The pun was Epimanes, 'the Mad'; Polybius records Antiochus IV scattering money to strangers in Antioch, turning up in public bath houses and running for municipal office, behaviour that baffled contemporaries.

Which U.S. president was the first to light the National Menorah near the White House?

Jimmy Carter lit the first National Menorah in Lafayette Park in 1979, after Chabad's Abraham Shemtov had pressed to erect it near the White House.

How many benedictions are recited over the candles on the first night of Hanukkah?

Three: the two nightly blessings plus a third, said only on the first night, thanking God for reaching this season; every other night has two.

Jews of which country traditionally eat gulab jamun, fried dough balls soaked in syrup, for the holiday?

Indian Jews, notably the Bene Israel, take gulab jamun for Hanukkah; the syrup-soaked fried dough balls fit the fried-in-oil theme much like Sephardic fritters.

Which Psalm, the Song of the Dedication of the House, is traditionally recited on Hanukkah?

A playful reading notes that the 25th of Kislev plus the five books of the Torah equals 30.

Which debate exists between the Schools of Hillel and Shammai about lighting Hanukkah candles?

Shammai counted down from eight because the miracle was greatest on day one; Hillel counted up because it grew each day, and Jewish law followed Hillel.

Which Ladino song did Flory Jagoda compose for Hanukkah in 1983?

Ocho Kandelikas (Eight Little Candles) is a popular Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) Hanukkah song by Flory Jagoda that celebrates the lighting of candles each night. It has become a beloved part of Sephardic Hanukkah tradition.

According to 2 Maccabees, the first Hanukkah was a delayed observance of which festival missed during the fighting?

2 Maccabees 10:6 says the rededication was kept for eight days 'in the manner of the festival of Sukkot', missed while the rebels were in the hills; carrying none of Sukkot's obligations, Hanukkah stays a minor holiday.

Which rabbi's father wrote that one must not make light of eating fritters on Chanukah?

Maimonides' father, Rabbi Maimon ben Yosef, wrote that one must not make light of the custom of eating fritters on Chanukah, one of the earliest references to the fried-food custom, which he already regarded as ancient.

What happened to the tradition of Hanukkah gift-giving in America during the 20th century?

Penina Moise's 1842 'Hannukah Hymn' is often cited as an early step in the Americanization of the holiday.

Where should the hanukkiah ideally be placed according to Jewish law?

The lamp goes by a window or the doorway to publicize the miracle; only under persecution, as in Zoroastrian Persia or wartime Europe, were the lamps hidden from view.

Which ancient historian's remark is the source of the name 'Festival of Lights'?

Josephus wrote in Antiquities of the Jews that 'we call it Lights', without ever using the name Hanukkah.

Which New Testament gospel places Jesus in the Temple during the 'Festival of Dedication'?

John 10:22-23 places Jesus in Solomon's Colonnade at the Feast of Dedication in winter; the Greek term, ta enkainia, means 'the renewals' or 'the consecrations'.

Which 1st-century list of festive days is the earliest rabbinic text to name Hanukkah?

Megillat Taanit, the first-century 'Scroll of Fasting', lists days on which fasting or eulogizing is forbidden, the eight of Hanukkah among them; its later scholion adds the cruse-of-oil story.

Which exiled Hellenizing Jewish family lobbied Antiochus IV to recapture Jerusalem?

The Tobiads, per Josephus, had been expelled to Syria around 170 BCE when the high priest Onias and his pro-Egyptian faction took control, and urged Antiochus to march on Jerusalem.

In 167 BCE, Antiochus IV ordered an altar to which god erected inside the Temple?

An altar to Zeus Olympios was set up on the Temple altar, the 'abomination of desolation' of 1 Maccabees 1:54; the same decree outlawed Jewish practice and provoked the Maccabean uprising.

Which Jewish rite did Antiochus IV explicitly ban alongside outlawing Temple worship?

Circumcision was banned on pain of death, with 1 Maccabees 1:60-61 describing mothers executed with their circumcised infants; outlawing a traditional religion outright was a total departure from usual Seleucid practice.

How many sons of Mattathias led the rebellion with him?

Five: Jochanan, Simeon, Judah, Eleazar and Jonathan, named in 1 Maccabees 2:2-5.

Whom did Mattathias kill first to touch off the revolt?

He then killed the Greek official sent to enforce the decree, per 1 Maccabees 2.

Joseph Karo famously asked why Hanukkah lasts eight days when the miracle lasted how many?

Since there was enough oil for one day, only the extra seven were miraculous, a puzzle that spawned countless answers.

Which Maccabee brother was killed by a war elephant at the Battle of Beth Zechariah?

Eleazar Avaran speared the elephant he thought carried the boy king Antiochus V, and it collapsed on top of him, as told in 1 Maccabees 6:43-46.

Judah Maccabee died fighting the army of Bacchides at which battle?

Judah fell at Elasa in 160 BCE, outnumbered by Bacchides' army after most of his men had slipped away; his brothers Jonathan and later Simon took over the revolt.

In which year did the Roman Senate recognize Jewish autonomy through a treaty?

In 139 BCE the Roman Senate recognized Simon's rule and Jewish autonomy, renewing the alliance Judah had first made in 161 BCE, the first recorded contract between Jews and Romans.

Which Roman general's capture of Jerusalem in 63 BCE ended the Hasmonean kingdom?

Pompey took Jerusalem in 63 BCE after the rival brothers Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II had both appealed to Rome, and Judea became a Roman client state.

In 2 Maccabees 7, a mother and her seven sons die rather than do what?

In 2 Maccabees 7 the brothers are tortured to death one by one for refusing to eat pork; later rabbinic retellings recast it as refusing to bow to an idol, and they rank among the Hanukkah story's heroes.

Israeli schools close between which days of Hanukkah?

There is no religious reason to close, since work is permitted throughout the holiday.

Among Sephardim, how many sets of Hanukkah lights does a household usually kindle?

One set per household, following the Shulchan Aruch; many Orthodox Ashkenazi families, following the Rema's gloss, instead have every male member light a full set.

Who wrote the 1989 picture book 'Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins'?

Eric Kimmel wrote 'Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins', in which Hershel of Ostropol outwits a goblin each night; Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations won a 1990 Caldecott Honor.

In Sephardic custom, when is the shamash lit relative to the other candles?

Sephardim light the shamash last, after kindling the other candles with a separate candle or match; some Hasidic groups follow this custom too.

Which rabbi's 1970s campaign made public menorah lightings widespread in the US?

Menachem M. Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, launched Chabad's public menorah campaign in 1973-74; Chabad now organizes thousands of community lightings worldwide each year.

Why does the Talmud say women must light Hanukkah candles?

Shabbat 23a obligates women because 'they too were part of the miracle' (af hen hayu be'oto hanes); some also keep a custom of women not working while the candles burn.

Hanukkah lights should burn for at least how long after dark?

The lights must burn at least half an hour after nightfall; cheap Hanukkah candles burn about that long, so they should not be lit before dark.

On the Friday of the festival, what is kindled first at sundown?

Larger candles are used so the Hanukkah lights outlast the Shabbat lighting.

Which blessing is added only on the first night of Hanukkah?

Shehecheyanu, which thanks God for keeping us alive to reach this season, is said over the lights only on the first night, as at the year's first occurrence of any festival.

How many stanzas does the hymn Ma'oz Tzur contain?

Six stanzas: the five medieval originals plus a later addition; often only the first is sung, or the first and fifth.

The acrostic in Ma'oz Tzur's first five stanzas spells which composer's name?

The initial letters of the first five stanzas spell Mordechai, the otherwise unknown 13th-century author; a second acrostic in the final stanza spells hazak, 'be strong'.

Which weekly Torah portion is most often read on the Sabbath of Hanukkah?

Miketz, the portion of Pharaoh's dreams and Joseph's rise in Egypt, falls on the Sabbath of Hanukkah in most years; in some years Vayeshev is read instead.

What name do some give to the festival's eighth and final day?

Zot Hanukkah is the last day, and kabbalists treat it as the final seal of the High Holy Day judgment.

Which bird was historically the traditional Hanukkah roast among Eastern European Jews?

Goose was the traditional Hanukkah roast, fattened in autumn and slaughtered for the festival with its fat kept for frying; the custom has since largely faded.

One custom favors giving Hanukkah gelt on which night, since it never falls on Shabbat?

The fifth night is the only one that can never fall on Shabbat, when handling money is forbidden, so giving gelt then avoids any conflict.

The 1996 US Hanukkah postage stamp was a joint issue with which country?

The 1996 stamp was a joint issue with Israel, both countries releasing Hannah Smotrich's menorah design; it was reissued until a dreidel replaced it in 2004.

Thanksgiving fell during Hanukkah in which year, prompting the word 'Thanksgivukkah'?

In 2013 Thanksgiving fell on the first full day of Hanukkah, November 28; the last overlap had been in 1899, and no such convergence is due again for decades.

Which group did Rabbi Shmuel Mohilever want to adopt Hanukkah as its official holiday?

Mohilever, a founder of Hovevei Zion, wanted the movement to adopt Hanukkah; Zionists reframed the festival as a national holiday of resistance to foreign rule.

Which Hanukkah song did Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary write in 1982?

Peter Yarrow wrote 'Light One Candle' in 1982 as a Hanukkah peace song; Peter, Paul and Mary recorded it for their 1986 album 'No Easy Walk to Freedom'.

Which US candy company produced the first chocolate gelt in the 1920s?

Loft's, the New York candy maker, sold the first chocolate gelt in the 1920s, foil-wrapped coins in mesh pouches resembling money bags.

The dreidel is a Jewish variant of which European gambling top?

The teetotum, a four-sided gambling top with a letter on each face, was the model; German versions were called trendel, and the letters were adapted to Hebrew.

In the dreidel game, a spin that lands on the letter gimel entitles the player to how much of the pot?

Everything goes to the spinner: gimel stands for the Yiddish gantz, meaning whole.

Landing on hei in a dreidel game entitles the player to what?

Half the pot, after the Yiddish halb; with an odd number of pieces, the player rounds up.

Where was Major League Dreidel founded in 2007?

Major League Dreidel began in New York City in 2007, founded by Eric Pavony in Brooklyn; its official spinning stadium is called the Spinagogue, and the longest spin wins.

The record-setting $70,000 dreidel of 2019 was inspired by which New York landmark?

Estate Diamond Jewelry's 2019 dreidel, in gold and diamonds, took its art deco form from the Chrysler Building and beat Chabad of South Palm Beach's $14,000 record-holder.

Robert Feinerman showed the dreidel game is unfair in favor of whom?

Feinerman's 1976 paper 'An Ancient Unfair Game' showed whoever spins first has the best expected outcome, each later player being worse off than the one before.

Legend says secret Torah students swapped their scrolls for dreidels when who approached?

Seleucid soldiers, in the legend; the story that Jews hid Torah study behind a game of tops is a late folk explanation, absent from the Books of Maccabees and the Talmud.

The word 'latke' ultimately traces back to a Greek word meaning what?

Oil: Yiddish latke comes via East Slavic oladka, a small fried pancake, from Greek eladion, a diminutive of elaion, olive oil.

Before potatoes reached Eastern Europe, Ashkenazi latkes were most often made of what?

Cheese: the earliest Ashkenazi latkes were cheese pancakes; frying in poultry fat, which dairy laws forbid mixing with cheese, later pushed cooks toward vegetable and then potato versions.

Latkes are traditionally served with sour cream or what other topping?

Applesauce and sour cream are the classic toppings; modern recipes add onions, carrots, zucchini or sweet potato to the batter.

Which Israeli organization pushed sufganiyot over homemade latkes to create jobs?

The Histadrut labour federation promoted bakery-made sufganiyot, since doughnuts sold weeks in advance lengthened the employment period.

Which Israeli artist created the 32-foot menorah lit near Central Park in Manhattan?

Yaacov Agam designed the 32-foot, 4,000-pound steel menorah at Grand Army Plaza; Con Edison uses a crane to lift each candle-lighter to the top.

Which 1989 Supreme Court case upheld public menorah displays on government property?

County of Allegheny v. ACLU upheld Pittsburgh's menorah beside a Christmas tree as conveying a secular message of the winter holiday season, while striking down a creche displayed alone.

What was the turkey-shaped menorah made for the Thanksgivukkah overlap called?

The Menurkey was designed by nine-year-old Asher Weintraub and funded on Kickstarter for the overlap; other offbeat products include a 'Menorah Tree'.

In December 2024, Kyiv lit a hanukkiah made from fragments of what?

The hanukkiah was welded from fragments of Russian drones and rockets shot down over Ukraine; military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov lit the first candle.

On which SNL segment did Adam Sandler first perform 'The Chanukah Song' in 1994?

Sandler debuted it on Weekend Update on December 3, 1994, introduced by anchor Norm Macdonald; he co-wrote it with SNL writers Lewis Morton and Ian Maxtone-Graham.

Which star corrected Sandler's song with the single word 'Half!'?

Sandler had understated Ford's Jewish ancestry as a quarter; his mother was fully Jewish.

Which singer covered 'The Chanukah Song' on his 2009 album A Cherry Cherry Christmas?

Neil Diamond, himself Jewish, covered Sandler's song on A Cherry Cherry Christmas, his 2009 holiday album and the third Christmas record of his career.

Which Office character parodies Sandler with 'The Diwali Song'?

Michael Scott sings 'The Diwali Song', a riff on Sandler's melody, in the season 3 episode 'Diwali' from 2006.

In Eight Crazy Nights, what is Davey Stone's New Hampshire hometown?

Davey Stone lives in the fictional Dukesberry, New Hampshire; the film's title comes from the 'eight crazy nights' line in 'The Chanukah Song'.

Whitey Duvall in Eight Crazy Nights is an aging volunteer in what role?

Whitey Duvall is the town's aging volunteer basketball referee; he convinces the judge to let Davey do community service as a referee-in-training.

Grandpa Boris feuds with which old rival in the 1996 'Chanukah' special?

Boris's old rival is Shlomo; the babies decide he is the 'Meanie of Chanukah' after seeing him cast as the Greek king in the synagogue play.

Which Rugrats holiday special aired in 1995, a year before the Chanukah one?

'A Rugrats Passover' aired in April 1995; Nickelodeon had pitched a Chanukah special as early as 1992, but the crew made the Passover story first.

What is the German term for a blended Christmas-Hanukkah celebration?

Weihnukka, blending Weihnachten and Chanukka, arose among middle-class German-speaking Jews in the 19th century.

What did Theodor Herzl suggest calling the decorated fir he allowed for his children?

Herzl wrote in his 1895 diary, after Rabbi Guedemann objected to the fir, that he did not mind calling it the Hanukkah tree; Vienna's first documented Christmas tree was put up in 1814 by Jewish socialite Fanny von Arnstein.

What name did The O.C.'s writers almost give Chrismukkah?

Josh Schwartz said the holiday underlined Seth Cohen's outsider status in Newport Beach.

After 2005, Christmas Day next coincided with the first night of Hanukkah in which year?

In 2024 the first candle was lit on the evening of December 25, as in 2005; in 2016 and 2027 the first night falls on Christmas Eve instead.

Which SNL cast member played Hanukkah Harry?

Jon Lovitz played Hanukkah Harry, first in the 1989 sketch 'The Night Hanukkah Harry Saved Christmas'.

Hanukkah Harry flies through the air on a cart pulled by three what?

Three donkeys, named Moische, Herschel and Schlomo, pull the cart; his workshop sits on Mount Sinai.

Which president is credited with giving the National Menorah its name?

Ronald Reagan's statement, read during the 1982 lighting in Lafayette Park, gave the National Menorah its name.

In 1974, Rabbi Abraham Shemtov kindled a public menorah at the foot of which landmark?

Shemtov's 1974 lighting at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia was Chabad's first public menorah; the next year rock promoter Bill Graham sponsored its menorah in San Francisco's Union Square.

Which of the Maccabee brothers was the father of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus?

Simon, the last surviving brother, ruled from 142 BCE; his son John Hyrcanus succeeded him in 134 BCE after Simon was murdered at Jericho by his son-in-law Ptolemy.

Who lit the National Menorah on the Ellipse in December 2023?

Doug Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a vice president, lit the National Menorah on the Ellipse in 2023, as he had in 2021.

Before dying, Mattathias appointed Simon as counselor and whom as military commander?

Judah, per 1 Maccabees 2:65-66; Mattathias himself had led the rebels from the Gophna Hills for only about a year before his death in 166 BCE.

Mattathias's ruling about the Sabbath permitted Jews to do what?

After a thousand Jews let themselves be killed rather than fight on the Sabbath, Mattathias ruled they could fight if attacked (1 Maccabees 2:39-41), the earliest known exception to the ban on Sabbath combat.

After killing Apollonius, Judah took and used which trophy until his own death?

Judah took Apollonius's sword and fought with it for the rest of his life (1 Maccabees 3:12); the victory at Wadi Haramia brought a rush of recruits to the rebel cause.

Which composer wrote the 1746 oratorio Judas Maccabaeus?

Handel composed Judas Maccabaeus in 1746 to celebrate the Duke of Cumberland's victory at Culloden; its chorus 'See, the Conqu'ring Hero Comes', first written for Joshua, is used by Spanish and Portuguese Jews for Ein Kelohenu at Hanukkah.

Antiochus IV appears to have originally borne which name?

He was born Mithridates and took the dynastic name Antiochus later; he spent years as a Roman hostage under the Treaty of Apamea before seizing the throne in 175 BCE.

Which Roman envoy drew a circle in the sand around Antiochus IV to force him out of Egypt?

Gaius Popillius Laenas delivered the Senate's ultimatum in 168 BCE; the humiliating 'Day of Eleusis' came just before Antiochus stormed Jerusalem.

Before Emmaus, Judah trimmed his army using criteria from which biblical book?

Following Deuteronomy 20:5-8, Judah sent home the newly married, the house-builders and the fearful (1 Maccabees 3:56); only about 3,000 made the night march on Emmaus.

Who composed the popular tune for the Hanukkah candle blessings in the early 20th century?

Samuel E. Goldfarb wrote the melody with his brother Israel Goldfarb, composer of the popular 'Shalom Aleichem' tune; it is sung for the blessings in synagogues and homes around the world.

Who composed the most popular modern tune for the song 'Al Hanisim' in 1975?

The song, drawn from the liturgy, is also an Israeli folk dance.

Which Hebrew greeting, meaning 'happy holiday', do Jews exchange at Hanukkah?

Chag sameach, 'happy holiday', serves for Hanukkah as for other festivals, often expanded to 'Chag Hanukkah sameach'; Shana tova is the New Year wish and Mazel tov means congratulations.

What are bimuelos, a fried Hanukkah treat in Sephardic tradition?

Fritters or doughnuts, fried like latkes and sufganiyot to recall the oil that burned for eight days in the rededicated Temple.