Hanukkah Celebrated at Public Square First Time in Turkey

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For the first in time in Turkey, Jews have celebrated Hanukkah at a public square in Ortaköy in İstanbul.

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is being celebrated all over the world at various squares with an enthusiastic crowd. Yet in Turkey, Jews used to celebrate their feast only at their homes or in synagogues.

This year for the first time, it has been celebrated at a public square in Turkey. Candles have been placed at the stage built at Ortaköy Square which was hosted by Beşiktaş Municipality. All the Jews gathering before the stage including the young, old, women and men were all deeply enthusiastic among which there was a considerable amount of persons weeping for joy.

An older man has shared his enthusiasm saying “I am 70 years old and for the first time we are witnessing such a thing, for the first time we see something which belongs to us out here, out of our homes and synagogues”.

And a young women who came to celebrate with her friends has shared her apprehension saying “My family would not let me come as they were very worried. We are also uneasy about this yet this could not hold us back”.

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar. It is also known as the Festival of Lights and the Feast of Dedication.
When the Second Temple in Jerusalem was looted and services stopped, Judaism was outlawed. In 167 BC Antiochus ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple. He banned brit milah (circumcision) and ordered pigs to be sacrificed at the altar of the temple.

Antiochus's actions provoked a large-scale revolt. Mattathias (Mattityahu), a Jewish priest, and his five sons Jochanan, Simeon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and Judah led a rebellion against Antiochus starting with Mattathias killing first a Jew who wanted to comply with Antiochus's order to sacrifice to Zeus and then a Greek official who was to enforce the government's behest (1 Mac. 2, 24-25). Judah became known as Yehuda HaMakabi ("Judah the Hammer"). By 166 BC Mattathias had died, and Judah took his place as leader. By 165 BC the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy was successful. The Temple was liberated and rededicated.

The festival of Hanukkah was instituted to celebrate this event. Judah ordered the Temple to be cleansed, a new altar to be built in place of the polluted one and new holy vessels to be made. According to the Talmud, unadulterated and undefiled pure olive oil with the seal of the kohen gadol (high priest) was needed for the menorah in the Temple, which was required to burn throughout the night every night. The story goes that one flask was found with only enough oil to burn for one day, yet it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of kosher oil for the menorah. An eight-day festival was declared by the Jewish sages to commemorate this miracle.

Source: Wikipedia

(NV/DG)

Hanukkah Celebrated at Public Square First Time in Turkey

Nilay Vardar