JEWISH FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS BEGINS 8-DAY EVENT CELEBRATES RELIGHTING OF THE TEMPLE.

Byline: Holly Andres Staff Writer

Hanukkah, the eight-day observance of religious freedom, begins at sundown today as Jews light the first candle of the menorah and retell the story of how this freedom was gained more than 2,000 years ago.

Known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah is celebrated with prayers, special foods and an exchange of gifts, in services at temple and as Jews gather with family in homes.

``Hanukkah commemorates one of the first times that a people fought for religious freedom,'' said Rabbi Sheryl Nosan of Temple Beth Torah in Granada Hills. ``Jews simply rebelled and fought against the Greco-Syrians to gain their freedom to be true to their beliefs and to one God.''

Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem that had been desecrated by the Greco-Syrians - the word ``Hanukkah'' means rededication.

According to the biblical story, after the temple was cleaned up, only one day's supply of sanctified oil was found available to light the flame that had always burned in the temple.

But a miracle occurred, according to the story, when the oil burned for eight days instead of just one. Jews remember this miracle by lighting candles for eight days in a row.

``The bottom line is that we're celebrating religious freedom that was won by so few, with God's help, over so many,'' said Rabbi Sally Olins of Temple B'nai Hayim in Sherman Oaks. ``This year I'm telling my congregation that we need to relight our own souls and rededicate ourselves as Jews and Americans.''

Although most synagogues plan a Hanukkah Shabbat service on Friday night, the celebration is mostly observed at home.

Families gather together to first light one candle known as the shamash. The shamash is then used to light small, colorful candles on one or more menorahs - the nine-branched candelabrum used during the holiday.

Blessings are said, praising and thanking God for commanding the lighting of the Hanukkah candles, for miracles past and present and for reaching this joyous season.

Each night another candle is added onto the menorah. On the last night of Hanukkah, which this year comes on Dec. 16, nine candles, including the shamash, will be ablaze.

``We put the menorah in our windows to tell the world about the miracle that occurred,'' Olins said.

``One of the most beautiful sights, I think, is lighting candles. It's very comforting. It has a great metaphorical ability. We're reminded during Hanukkah of the light of Torah, the light of faith and the light we need to have inside ourselves.''

Favorite treats to eat during the eight days include latkes, or potato pancakes, and jelly doughnuts. Foods fried in oil reinforce the remembrance of the miracle of the oil used for the eternal flame.

For children, playing a game with a special top called a dreidel is a Hanukkah pastime. The dreidel has a Hebrew letter on each of its four sides that stands for words that mean ``a great miracle happened there.''

Although gift giving during Hanukkah has become standard practice in Jewish families, Olins said that Purim, a holiday that celebrates Jewish survival and occurs usually in late winter, was the traditional time to exchange presents.