According to legend, once the Temple Mount in Jerusalem had been reclaimed from the Greeks it had to be rededicated. Only one jar of sacramental oil was found, enough for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, thus the eight days of Hanukkah. A dreidel is a four-sided top. In Israel, Hanukkah is a very festive time.
Schools are out for a week and there are lots of parties and special events around the country.
Mr. Howard Goldstein, Associate Vice-President of University Advancement, was kind enough to answer several of my questions about the holiday. In researching this topic, I found mention of Chanukah and Hanukkah, which Mr. Goldstein explained to be the same holiday. When his children were younger, they celebrated by giving gifts each night of Hanukkah. Now that they are older, they exchange large gifts only on the first and last nights with smaller gifts for the remaining six nights. Gift-giving is not a traditional part of the holiday, but has been added where Jews have a lot of contact with Christians.