Levey Day School
A Community Jewish Day School
Levey Day School & JCA Community Hanukah Party
Sunday, December 9, 2007              12:00 - 3:00pm
Levey Day School: 400 Deering Avenue, Portland
207-774-7676                     FREE
The Jewish holiday of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, is upon us.  It
begins at sundown on December 4 and continues to the evening of
December 12.  This holiday celebrates the history of a small group
                               of Jewish men and women, the Maccabees,
                               who banded together in 167 BCE to drive out
                               King  Antiochus, a successor to Alexander
                               the Great’s empire and the greatest military
                               power of its day, from the land of Israel and the
                               holy city of Jerusalem.

                               The Maccabees led the revolt against Antiochus
                               to gain the right to religious freedom and to
                               live their lives in safety and security, free
                               of persecution.  After their victory, the Maccabees
returned to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and found it had been ruined
and made unholy.  They cleaned and rebuilt it and set about to rededicate
it as a holy site.  As part of this process, they wanted to relight the Menorah
(or candelabrum) that was supposed to burn day and night in the Temple.  
The Maccabees found only one day’s worth of the special oil that was
needed with its holy seal still intact.  They lit the Menorah anyway, and the
story is told that the oil lasted the full eight days required to make more,
thus, the miracle of lights.

Though the story of Chanukah and the miracles within the tale happened
so long ago, they still speak to our present day experience and give us
hope.  That a small group of people could face down tyranny and
oppression against overwhelming odds inspires us to do the same in our
own large or small ways.  The story reminds us that miracles can happen
and that we can find the strength and resources we need while we work to
create a better future.  

The holiday of Chanukah is a more minor one in the Jewish calendar, but
it is both a beautiful and fun celebration, with sparkling candles, special
foods of potato pancakes and jelly donuts (both fried in oil), and games
and songs.  Come to the Annual JCA/Levey Day School Community
Chanukah Party for your very own experience of the Chanukah miracle.

FOOD             GAMES           SONGS                 CRAFTS                     LATKES
12:00 – 1:00 Jewish Youth Choir Performing
              Light lunch served - Sponsored by Temple Beth El
1:00 – 3:00   Games, Songs, Crafts & Sweets
For more information, call Levey Day School at 774-7676