How Hanukkah Got Started
Time for the "Festival of Lights"
The original Hanukkah story took place around 165 BC in the ancient region of Judea. Back then, Judea was a pawn in a series of squabbles between Egypt and Syria.
The Syrian king, Antiochus IV, tried to control Judea by appointing the high priest of the Temple of Jerusalem, the epicenter of Jewish life. At first, he appointed a man named Jason, but he later replaced Jason with a rival named Menelaus (reportedly because Menelaus's bribes were bigger than Jason's). When Jason returned with an army and threw Menelaus out, Antiochus decided to put an end to Jerusalem's fractious politics. He sent in his own army and tried to reshape Judea along Syrian lines.
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