ASK JOEY, THE AUTODIDACT

Learning About Chanukah

The light and dark come together in story, song, and play

Photo by Dad Grass on Unsplash

I have a Jewish friend named Asher. We never talk about religion, but with Chanukah coming up, I asked my mom if we could invite Asher for dinner. Her response?

“Yes, but we know so little about Chanukah.”

No problem. That’s what I’m built for. Also, I could use this information for my next class essay in the perfect two-fer — reduce my homework and use my knowledge for dinner with Asher.

Here’s what I already knew:

• The holiday lasts eight days, lighting candles each night.
• They get presents each night (this turns out to be false).
• They eat potato pancakes (“latkes”).

Here’s what I learned:

• Chanukah history: In 190 BCE, the Greeks taxed the Jews to increase their army. They also had to house Greek soldiers. When the Greeks demanded Jews sacrifice a pig to their Gods, they went too far, and war broke out. It took five years for the Jewish army (called “Maccabees”) to win.
• Chanukah heroes: Mattathias led the Maccabees in guerrilla warfare but was then killed, and his son, Judah, took over and led them to victory. It…