The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-12-19
CHANUKAH WILL
Be OBSERVED IN
JEWISH CIRCLES
Minor Festival viii Begin
Evening of Christmas Day.
Exercises are Announced
at Temple Emanuel

Chanukah, minor festival of the
synagog, sometimes called the Feast
of Lights, will be observed in Jewish
circles, beginning Sunday evening,
December Is, and for eight days
thereafter.
The celebration at Temple Emanu-
Ell will take place Sunday afternoon
at $3.50 o'clock. The children of the
Sunday school are to conduct a spe-
cial service, consisting of essays and
ireeitations relating to the Feast of
Lights, They will kindle their seven
lights of the Menorah.
The Sunday school orchestra will
take part in the services. After the
services all pupils will be presented a
box of candy
Feast of Lights
With the Feast of Lights there is
coupled an historical event, the Mac
cabean revolt, which proved to be of
supreme national Importance to the
people of Israel.
The years 1913 to 165 B. c. E., were
eventful in Palestine, even epochal
In those stirring years Antiochus Epi
planes, King of Syria, ambitious to
unite all provinces of his domain
into one nation, resorted to the crude
method of compelling all his subject
peoples to use one language and wor-
ship in one established and certified
reli gious ceremonial namely, the
polytheistic rituallsm of his model,
the Greeks.
The enforcement of this royal de-
cree was mandatory on all peoples,
including tho Jews. The temple of
Jerusalem was defiled by the cree
ton of affairs where idols were wor-
shipped and Greek religious prac-
tees introduced not only hostile to
the sensiblities of the Jewish people
but regarded by them as abomina-
lions which had been uprooted from
their religion many centuries before
the Syrian tyrant plotted, to restore
them.
Mad Despot of Syria.
The enforcement Of these idola-
trous ceremonials, coupled with in
tense oppression, terminated hatred
in the hearts of the Jewish people of
Palestine which burst into revolt
and instantly led to war against the
mad despot of Syria.
This insurrection was instigated by
Mattathias, priest of Modin, who
rallied his countrymen around him
and defied the King of Syria to force
them to bend the knee before an
image made by man instead OF the
one and only Creator, who made
heaven and earth.
Sustained by his son judah, called
the Maccabee, and his four heroic
brothers, the mighty armies of Syria
were defeated after successive cam
paigns covering period of four
years.
Final Victory
The final victory of the Maccabean
armies over all the hosts OF Syria
happened according to the Hebrew
calendar on the 25th of kislev, which
corresponds to the month of Deem
Der, in the year 165 b. c. f. On this
eyentful day the various images and
ritual paraphernalia brought into the
temple at Jerusalem were removed
and the altar redcdicated to the wor
ship of the God of Israel. who is the
symbol of truth and justice, love and
mercy.
Many legends have been preserved
in post-Biblical literature concern
ing Chanukah. The martyrdom of
Hannah and her seven sons is the
most popular. This story relates the
heroism of a devoted mother who,
rather than submit to the defile-
ments of pagan worship on the part
of her sons and herself. is finally
put to death, together with her sons
All stories, however, recount the
loyalty of the people of Israel to
their religious heritage and awaken
in the hearts of their modern de-
seendants consciousness OF the ul-
innate triumph OF righteousness over
the aggression of tyranny ana might.
That man does not prevail by the
exercise of might but by the spirit OF
God working for justice and fair
play. is the keynote of the feast as
celebrated today in Jewish homes and
schools and synagogues.