Friday, December 7, 2012

Dates to remember

(Dec. 7, 2012) Today is Pearl Harbor Day, Dec. 7, the date in 1941 when Hawaii's Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese killing more than 2,400 Americans. The next day President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in a speech to Congress, brought the United States into World War II and said the date "will live in infamy." Today WWII veterans, plus those killed at Pearl Harbor, are remembered for their sacrifice.

Then tomorrow is the first of the winter holidays. Hanukkah 2012 begins at sunset, Saturday, Dec. 8, and ends at sundown, Sunday, Dec. 16. This movable eight-day feast starts on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, usually in the secular month of December. Known as the Festival of Lights, it commemorates the rededication of the Temple following its debasement by the Syrians many centuries ago. Each night of Hanukkah, which means dedication, families light one additional candle of the eight-branch menorah to symbolize the miracle of the small bit of oil which lasted eight days in the Temple. Additionally, celebrants play related games such as dreidel and sing festive Hanukkah songs.


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