What is Hanukkah?

This morning I realized that if someone were to ask me what Hanukkah was, I would not be able to give a full response. Below is what I found to be a pretty good answer-

The historical episode that Hanukkah commemorates centers on the military victory of the Maccabees, a small clan of Jewish warriors, who defeated the Syrian overlords of ancient Palestine in 167 BCE.

Over the millennia, many rabbis sought to emphasize the spiritual aspect, and so they focused on a miracle: as the Maccabees restored the damaged temple, the small amount of oil used to light the perpetual flame lasted for 8 days even though there was only enough to last for one day.

Hanukkah is the time to remember the victory of a small army who fought a war of national liberation against an powerful occupying power. The word "Hanukkah" means "dedication.” So today, over 2000 years later, as Israelis are occupiers in Palestine and as Americans are occupiers in Iraq, we dedicate this holiday to all those who are struggling against occupation.

In essence, the modern struggle for Palestinian liberation is comparable to the ancient struggle for Jewish liberation.