This Jewish holiday, also known as the festival of lights, celebrates the Maccabean revolt against the Syrian-Greek army. The Maccabees, an army of Jewish rebels, conquered the Syrian-Greeks who defiled the holy temple in Jerusalem. The Maccabees then reclaimed the temple.

The occasion was a Hanukkah celebration that has been held annually for nearly three decades. But for members of the Jewish community here, the event felt different this year. It was a chance to find peace in a space that had been violently scarred six months before by a deadly firebombing attack on a demonstration supporting Israeli hostages in Gaza.

Hanukkah celebrations across the world are turning into vigils for the 15 people killed in a deadly attack in Australia.

A recent terrorist attack is weighing heavy on the hearts of the Jewish community as they gathered for the 17th annual Hanukkah celebration at the Kansas State Capitol. Kansas

A Jewish family in California claims they were targeted by a group of individuals who fired at their home and shouted anti-semitic and racist slurs after seeing Hanukkah decorations.

"The festival of Hanukkah begins this year for the Jewish community with a moment of profound sorrow," Archbishop Coakley wrote.

A number of celebrations on Sunday marked the start of Hanukkah across Tampa Bay as the Jewish community mourned the attack that left 15 dead in Sydney, Australia.

Hanukkah, one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays, begins Sunday, Dec. 14. Known as the festival of lights, Hanukkah is an eight-day holiday in the Jewish faith marked by the nightly lighting of candles.