Jewish communities in California and across the world will soon celebrate Hanukkah, the “festival of lights” commemorating an important victory for Judaism, with latkes, lighting menorahs and more.

Hanukkah, also known as Chanukah, begins on the 25 th of Kislev, a month in the Jewish calendar, and will last for eight days. Over a decade ago, it overlapped with Thanksgiving . Last year, it overlapped with Christmas.

Hanukkah celebrates a victory that dates back more than 2,000 years, in which the Maccabees, Jewish fighters, revolted against Greek-Syrian oppression — and the outlawing of Judaism — that ultimately led to the rededication of a temple in Jerusalem, according to Chabad.org and the History Channel . As the story goes, there was a miracle in that the oil used to light the

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