But the Greeks had used the Jewish temple for rituals to the Greek god Zeus, including the roasting of a pig, which, in the eyes of the Jews, meant the temple had been defiled.

As part of the reclamation effort, the Maccabees had to cleanse the temple, which meant burning a ceremonial candelabrum inside the temple for eight days. But the Jews could only find one sanctified flask of oil—enough for just one day.

According to Jewish tradition, the oil miraculously lasted eight days, long enough for more to be made.

Since that time, Jews have celebrated Hanukkah in memory of that miracle. The ceremonial menorah has eight branches that hold either cups of oil or candles—one for each night the oil lasted.

In order to pass on these traditions to children in the community—and prevent future oil shortages—the South Peninsula Hebrew Day School and Chabad of Sunnyvale are working to educate children on the traditions of Hanukkah. Part of that education includes lessons in making oil from olives, as the Maccabees are said to have done.

Rabbi Avi Schochet, headmaster of the school, said that as part of his school's dual curriculum of general studies and Jewish and Hebrew education, students are taught the origins of the holiday and the meaning of items associated with the celebration.

As part of their celebration, students at the school make potato pancakes called latkes, and holeless, jelly-filled donuts called sufganiyah, fried in the same type of oil used in the burning of the original candelabra.

Students were also taught to make olive oil, as part of a program called "The Living Legacy."

The program was put together by Chabad of Sunnyvale, a regional chapter of a national organization dedicated to education—especially for young people—relating to Jewish heritage.

Rabbi Yisroel Hecht from Chabad travels around the area, bringing the legacy program to schools in an effort to raise awareness of the practices and traditions of the Jewish faith. For Hanukkah, the program focuses on the pressing of olives to make oil, as a means of explaining the significance of the holiday.

"The goal of the program is to give the children an identity and appreciation of who they are and their heritage," Hecht said. "The appreciation they gain adds a dimension to the experience."

Part of their appreciation is also simply for the traditions of Hanukkah, something that Rabbi Schochet says may be getting overshadowed in the United States.

Before coming to North America from South Africa, Schochet says he had never seen gifts given each night of Hanukkah as is done by many families. Traditionally, the only item given to children is a small monetary gift, known as gelt, given on the fifth night of Hanukkah. Schochet said it was really nothing more than a token, not a significant present or item.

He said that the influence of Christmas and marketing have most likely led to this gift-giving focus, because many children feel left out around Christmas if their non-Jewish friends are getting extravagant gifts for the holiday.

But even though Hanukkah falls in the same season as Christmas and Kwanzaa, Schochet said he doesn't see any competition between the festivals, as each is celebrated by a different group of people.

"We celebrate Hanukkah. This is our festival, other people celebrate theirs. There really isn't a competition," Schochet said.

As a result, much of the school's focus during the holidays is on teaching the traditional roots of Hanukkah, and celebrating the religious and cultural significance of the festival, rather than the commercial aspects.

But Hecht said those commercial aspects may ultimately be helping Hanukkah by bringing it into the public eye and getting people—Jewish or not—interested in the practices of the celebration.

Hecht said non-Jewish people are also interested in the holiday because it has a very "American" message, that people have a right to express their religion, and if that right is taken away, ordinary citizens can band together to take it back.

It's messages like these, the basis of the tradition, that Hecht says Chabad hopes to share with Sunnyvale and neighboring communities.

"The point of the program is to take the spirit, the life of Hanukkah," Hecht said.