Hanukkah

Every winter, when the days are short and cold, we celebrate Hanukkah, during which we commemorate the victory of the Maccabees over an oppressive regime that did not allow Jews to practice Judaism. We also celebrate the beauty of light in the darkness by telling the miraculous story of a jug of oil that was supposed to light a menorah (candelabra) for only one night but instead lasted for eight! It is customary to eat oily foods on this holiday, including latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts).