As Friday evening approached, Israelis were preparing for the Sabbath to be immediately followed this year by the first day of Hanukkah on Sunday. President Reuven Rivlin posted a video in English Friday morning in which he wished the entire Jewish people worldwide a happy Hanukkah and taught a brief history lesson on the importance of the Menora as a symbol of Jewish nationhood going back to ancient times and continuing to the present day. On Hanukkah, “We celebrate the survival of the Jewish people and our faith against all odds. We celebrate the freedom that was won in these days and that we enjoy today with Israel as the national home of the Jewish people,” he said. Meanwhile, grocery stores and bakeries around the country were packed in the days leading up to the popular holiday as people stocked up on traditional foods and candles to light on the eight evenings of Hanukkah. Read More