Glossary

The entries selection comes from the book “Dictionary of Judaica” (2005), which was written by a group of authors led by Eva Kosáková . Entries were further processed by Jaroslav Kuntoš, Dana Veselská, Olga Sixtová, Michaela Scheibová and Lenka Uličná. The book can be purchased at our e-shop.

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Hanukkah (lit. Dedication)

an eight-day holiday beginning on 25 kislev that celebrates the purification and rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem and the gaining of independence after a revolt in the second century B.C.E. led by Judah Maccabee, together with his father and brothers, against King Antiochus IV Epiphanes who had desecrated the Temple and outlawed certain religious prescripts. The eight-branched Hanukkah candelabrum (hanukkiyah) is lit as a reminder of a miracle whereby a single jar of sacramental oil burned in the Temple for eight days instead of one. Hanukkah is therefore also known as the Festival of Lights. Traditionally, doughnuts and potato pancakes are eaten and various games (e.g., with the dreidel) are played during the holiday.

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