Olive oil tells the story of Hanukkah

“You guys are the Maccabees of today,” Michael Albukerk told his enthralled audience, “the ones who will keep Judaism alive.”

Albukerk and Schneer Friedman of Tzivos Hashem arrived at Temple Emanu-El on Wednesday with baskets of olives, lots of hammers and wooden pegs, test tubes, an olive press, cotton balls and a centrifuge to teach students in the synagogue’s Hebrew School a thing or two — or 100, to be more exact — about Hanukkah.

At the end, there was a quiz (a hard one!) and prizes, and everyone took home a menorah they had made themselves.

Tzivos Hashem is an organization of Chabad Lubavitch in Brooklyn that sends teams to Hebrew schools, day schools, even the occasional public school, to lead holiday-themed workshops on everything from shofars to lulavs. It was olive oil that brought them to Port Richmond this week.

“Olive oil is the best thing to burn in a menorah,” followed by beeswax oil and paraffin candles, Albukerk said. He explained that black, wrinkly olives make the best oil, and had all the children and parents in attendance select three.

Then the pressing began, with much giggling and counting in Hebrew and Albukerk telling the story of Hanukkah — the victory of Jewish freedom fighters against the Hellenists bent on destroying Judaism — “from the point of view of the olives.”

When enough oil had been pressed, Albukerk said they would need eight days for it to separate properly. But since Hebrew School is supposed to end at 6 p.m., he came up with a faster way — the centrifuge.

Alburkerk selected eight students to deposit test tubes full of oil into the centrifuge.

“Even if you get dirty, you can’t let go,” he warned.

A short discourse on Alexander the Great ensued (unlike most conquerors, he was good to the Jews, and even learned to read Hebrew), and then it was time to make the wicks from 100 percent cotton (if you’re trying this at home, don’t use the synthetic kind of cotton balls) and fill the cups on the menorah with the newly pressed oil.

“This is the real stuff. You could even use this in the Bais HaMigdash,” Albukerk said, using the Hebrew name for the Second Temple in Jerusalem, which was still standing in 168 B.C.E. when Judah and his Maccabees, with oil enough only for the first night, watched their menorah blaze for eight.

As Rabbi Gerald Sussman led the students in a blessing, Albukerk encouraged the kids to light the candles of their menorah, one each night beginning on Dec. 25.

“When Moshiach comes,” he promised, “we’ll light all eight the very first night.”