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JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. - Every year, Hannukah is observed for eight nights and days. This year, Hanukkah begins Dec. 25 and continues until sundown Jan. 2.
The Joint Base Andrews community will be celebrating with the lighting of one candle each day on the Hanukkah candelabra – called a hanukkiah – outside Chapel One, starting on the evening of Dec. 25.
Why lighting of the eight candles? The ancient holiday of Hanukkah commemorates the recovery of Jerusalem, dating back to the second century B.C.E. when King Antiochus IV and the Syrian Greeks ruled Jerusalem.
According to the Book of Maccabees, a small band of Jewish warriors fought a multi-year battle to defend their religious beliefs and liberate the land of Israel and the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, which the Syrian Greeks had defiled. To rededicate the temple, the Maccabees, led by the five sons of the priest Mattathias, found a small reserve of oil for the temple menorah. According to legend, there was only enough oil to last for one day, but the oil miraculously lasted for eight days, leading us to celebrate an eight-day holiday.
The celebration of Hanukkah in the U.S. military has its origins from the earliest days of our nation. There is a story of Gen. George Washington encountering one of his young Soldiers in the frozen camps at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777, who was celebrating Hanukkah. Asking about his hanukkiah’s single lit candle, Gen. Washington listened to the Soldier describing the miracle it represented– when only a handful held out against a massive army—and left inspired despite the great odds facing the Continental Army.
Hanukkah was celebrated during the Civil War, both World Wars, and every war and conflict since. The hanukkiah has been lit on battleships and the hoods of Humvees, in bombed-out buildings and grand chapels, the deserts of Afghanistan and the tundra of Greenland, always reminding us that the Jewish people, against determined forces and the worst odds, have not only survived, but thrived. The lighting of the hannukah is also an encouragement to all those around us to persevere in hard times-- that there is hope even in the darkness.
Each year, Hanukkah can remind all of us of that unbreakable human spirit. That ability to rise from the ashes, time and again, against all odds. It is also a time for the Jewish people to reflect on our resiliency in the face of oppression and the forces which seek to silence or erase us. It symbolizes the epitome of the Jewish spirit: that in the darkest of moments, we exist to add light to the world around us. Though there may always be those who wish to extinguish our light, we will find that last bit of reserve, those last drops of oil, and make something remarkable that brightens the world.
In this season, we can all recommit ourselves to being the light in the darkness, being proud of who we are, and to celebrating the miracles in our lives, big and small.
Chag Urim Sameach - May you have a joyous Festival of Lights.
| Date Taken: | 01.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.31.2025 11:20 |
| Story ID: | 489787 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 11 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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