It’s one thing to argue against the existence of God, but to in­sult Judah Maccabee, perhaps the greatest warrior in Jewish history — well, that’s just a shandah. After all, Judah Maccabee and his followers are the central heroes of the Chanukah story, and generations of Hebrew school students have been taught to revere them for their pursuit of religious...

The festive holiday of Chanukah lasts eight days -- even here in Israel, where some of the holidays are short a day. And it's a good thing, too, for we have eight days in which to light candles every night and show thanks for the Jews' miraculous victory over the Greeks.