WHEELING — In the eyes of Rabbi Joshua Lief of Wheeling’s Temple Shalom, the war being waged between Israel and Hamas makes the message of Hanukkah — which begins this evening — even more relevant.

Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucids. In 167 B.C., the Seleucids, a Syrian-Greek empire, outlawed Judaism and demanded Jews adopt Greek culture. Three years later, the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy was successful and the Second Temple in Jerusalem was rededicated.

“The war currently going on has eerily familiar themes where Hamas would like to wipe out all of the Jews,” Lief said. “And Israel is not fighting to force the Palestinians to become Jewish. They are fighting for the right to be able to be free and to live in safety and in peace. I wish that all people were able to live in safety and in peace.”

Temple Shalom’s Hanukkah events will embrace both the traditional celebrations of the eight-night holiday and an update on the current world landscape. The biggest celebration at the synagogue will come Friday evening with a 6 p.m. early service.

Following that service will be a festive dinner that will, in part, celebrate the miracle of the cruse of oil. It is told in the Talmud that a jug of pure oil was found that should have lasted one day, but stayed lit for eight.

In honor of that, Lief said, fried foods are a popular part of the celebration. The dinner will feature latkes — fried potato pancakes — and sufganiyot, a fried, jelly-filled donut. Euphoric Donuts will supply this year’s sufganiyot, Lief said.

The synagogue’s Monday and Tuesday celebrations will feature a special guest — Cantor Evan Cohen of Kehilat Har-El in Jerusalem. A friend of Lief’s since college, Cohen will offer guests an update on everything going on in Israel at 7 p.m. Monday at the synagogue. Cohen will attend a Hanukkah party at Temple Shalom on Tuesday night for the synagogue’s younger families before heading to Washington D.C.

“He’s making three stops in America — Miami, D.C. and Wheeling,” Lief said. “So we’re very excited he’s coming to our place for a couple of nights. We’re thrilled.”

The Hanukkah season is a joyous time, Lief said. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the miracles of the past, as well as the miracles of the present. It’s the opportunity to celebrate the Jewish community’s ability to still observe and celebrate its faith.

Hanukkah is a festival of light, Lief said, and it is important this year that the congregation illuminate the true meaning of the holiday.

“It comes quite intentionally at the darkest time of the year,” he said. “And the light is meant to brighten our lives, of course, but also to dispel the gloom and darkness of the world around us.

“The Hanukkah story isn’t just about Jews being free,” Lief continued. “It’s about all people being free. It’s about every minority not being oppressed by the majority. It’s about all people being able to be proud of being themselves and not to live in fear of bullying and oppression and tyranny by the majority. I think the Hanukkah story is a wonderful message and we are in a dark time, so to speak, in the world around us. A festival of lights is worthwhile not just for the Jewish community but for all of us.”