by Steve Hausman In ancient times of old we're told There lived a tyrant very bold Antiochus Epiphanes was called his name For the temple's destruction he was to blame The Jews he liked to hurt and kill To wipe them out would be his thrill To Mod'i'in his minions came That town for Greeks to surely claim But Mattathias, a patriarch Would not bow to the tyrant's bark He crushed the idols with his sword To preserve intact the holy word And with his sons, all of them, five Took to the hills so to survive They gathered Jews from far and wide To beat back thus the evil tide But Mattathias was too old To fight the fight, it must be told So Judah, his son, the hammer Took up then freedom's banner And vanquished every single foe To relieve all of his people's woe Jerusalem the Maccabees did retake And found destruction in its wake Rededication was their goal To make again the temple whole But only one day's oil did remain To light again the eternal flame To get some more would take a week No matter where they would it seek But having faith the flame would not falter They lit the menorah on the altar And a wondrous miracle did occur That did disaster soon defer The light it lasted for eight nights Relieving people of their plight A rescue from a horrid fate You see it came, and not too late So spin a dreidel if you are able And with latkes set the table Yes, fry the latkes in the oil To celebrate ancestor's toil A time for candles to be lit In a menorah will they fit Come let us sing the latke's song That tells us of a righted wrong Chanukah is here at last Let's all go and have a blast! Copyright©1997 Steve Hausman