The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, or Chanukah -- the Festival of Lights -- is underway. It began at sundown on Wednesday, Dec. 25 and will continue into the beginning of 2025. On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jews gather with family and friends to light one ...

Hanukkah, perhaps the only Jewish holiday that has been confirmed by the archaeological record, celebrates the singular, millennialong relationship between Jews and the land of Israel. It is the story of a civil and cultural struggle for sovereignty over its institutions. It is perhaps the most explicitly Zionist story in the Jewish tradition.