Test your knowledge and impress your friends by entering the
KESHER HANUKKAH QUIZ
(answers below - but no cheating!)

1) The holiday of Hanukkah marks

a) the Jewish victory against the Philistines
b) the Jewish victory against the Christians
c) the Jewish victory against the Syrian Greeks
d) the Jewish victory in the Greek Olympics

2) The Greeks issued drastic decrees including

a) forbidding investments in hedge funds
b) forbidding the eating of oily foods
c) forbidding circumcision
d) forbidding the lighting of the Menorah in the Temple

3) Who was the father of Yehudah Maccabee?

a) Shlomo ha-Melech
b) Matisyahu Kohen Gadol
c) Shimon ha-Tzaddik
d) Aharon ha-Kohen

4) The mitzvah of Hanukkah lights can be fulfilled with

a) a gas burner
b) electric lights
c) a burning splint
d) none of the above

5) On Friday afternoon, the menorah should stay lit for approximately

a) 30 minutes
b) 48 minutes
c) 72 minutes
d) 100 minutes or longer

6) The ninth light on the Menorah is called the Shamash and may be used for

a) lighting a pipe
b) lighting the cooker for frying latkes
c) lighting the other candles
d) all of the above

7) We light candles

a) to publicise the miracle
b) because in those days they didn't have electricity
c) because they're healthier than cigarettes
d) so that our homes will be illuminated, to create a more festive atmosphere

8) You can calculate the day of Hanukkah by

a) counting the number of candles lit
b) counting the number of candles lit in one row
c) counting the number of shopping days left to X-mas
d) by calling FREEPHONE "Hanukkah"
9) In its essence, the Greek threat to the Jews was

a) economic
b) political
c) spiritual
d) military

10) It is forbidden to use the Hanukkah lights for

a) checking your email
b) reading the Bible in Greek translation
c) reading The Jewish Chronicle
d) all of the above and more

11) According to the Book of Maccabees, Hannah was a heroine of the first Hanukkah, who had

a) five daughters
b) no, it was Tevye the Milkman who had five daughters
c) seven sons
d) five sons

12) Some are critical of the practice of giving gifts on Hanukkah because

a) it's better to give to charity than to friends and relatives
b) it is viewed as copying the custom of the surrounding culture
c) who can afford 8 gifts for every child?
d) those who don't receive will feel left out

13) On Hanukkah we are not allowed to

a) feast
b) fast
c) fress
d) think about how warm it is in the Bahamas

14) In the story of Hanukkah, a new, cruel leader came to power in Syria, whose name was

a) Bashar al-Assad
b) Antiochus
c) Antisemite
d) Antibody

15) The mitzvah of lighting the Menorah applies primarily

a) in the Synagogue
b) outside Golders Green Station
c) in the home
d) in any public place

16) Doughnuts are popular on Hanukkah because

a) Hanukkah calories don't count
b) there're shaped like the discus
c) they're fried in oil
d) they remind us of the manna which nourished our ancestors in the desert

17) We celebrate Hanukkah for eight days because

a) there were eight branches on the Menorah in the temple
b) the oil burned for eight days
c) most Jewish holidays are eight days long
d) all of the above

18) According to tradition, who was the courageous Jewish woman who defied the Greeks and killed one of their generals?

a) Yehudit
b) Devorah
c) Yael
d) Esther

19) While the Hanukkah lights are lit, it is customary for women

a) to fry latkes
b) to look after the children
c) to eat doughnuts
d) not to work

20) The Dreidle is

a) a Jewish won ton
b) a game children play on Hanukkah
c) a night club in Soho
d) Sol Kerzner’s newest venture in Atlantic City

21) According to Jewish tradition, Hanukkah is a time to give

a) gifts
b) gelt
c) guilt
d) Tums

22) The letters on the Israeli Dreidles stand for

a) a great miracle happened here
b) a great happening - hope you're here
c) it's a miracle we made it there
d) a code revealing the plans for Bernie Madoff’s next big venture

23) Some have the custom of using olive oil for lighting the Menorah because

a) the best olive oil comes from Greece
b) the best olive oil comes from Israel
c) olive oil was used in the menorah in the Temple
d) before wax candles, there was the only oil available.

24) The word Menorah is related to

a) the Hebrew word for light
b) the word Torah
c) the English word "aura"
d) all of the above

25) We PLACE the candles in the menorah from ______ to ______

a) left to right
b) right to left
c) no specific order
d) one on each side working our way in

26) We LIGHT the candles from ______ to _______

a) left to right
b) right to left
c) no specific order
d) one on each side working our way in

27) The word “Hanukkah” means

a) a great victory was ours
b) renewal
c) dedication
d) lights

28) The Hanukkah lights must burn until

a) 15 minutes before sunset
b) three stars are visible
c) half an our after nightfall
d) the candles burn out

29) The town in which the Maccabee family lived was

a) Stamford Hill
b) Crown Heights
c) Modi’in
d) Herzliya

30) If the candles are inadvertently extinguished before the requisite time

a) you must observe an extra day of Hanukkah
b) you have still fulfilled your obligation
c) it is regarded as a bad omen
d) they must be re-kindled

31) How many blessings do we say on the first night of Hanukkah?

a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4

32) Jews who sought to introduce Greek culture into Judaism were called

a) Greeks
b) Maccabees
c) Hasmoneans
d) Hellenists

33) The name Hellenist comes from

a) Queen Helena of Adiabene, a convert to Judaism who was of Greek origin
b) the mythological Helen of Troy, daughter of Greek god Zeus
c) the Ancient Greek word hellenizein - "to speak Greek, to make Greek, to become Greek”
d) Hel, the Norse queen of the underworld

34) Among the Talmudic rulings on this holiday is that:

a) the menorah should be set in a high position, ideally above 20 cubits
b) the menorah should be kindled in the synagogue
c) the menorah should be lit promptly at nightfall
d) your fire insurance should be paid up every year by the beginning of Kislev



Answers:
1) c
2) c
3) b
4) d
5) d
6) d
7) a
8) b
9) c
10) d
11) c
12) b
13) b
14) b
15) c
16) c
17) b
18) a
19) d
20) b
21) b
22) a
23) c
24) d
25) b
26) a
27) c
28) c
29) c
30) b
31) c
32) d
33) c
34) c

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