Lights: The Miracle of Chanukah

As a child I watched Lights (1984) probably every Chanukah.. It  is a great rendition of the Chanukah story. It really expresses the tension the Macabies had: to accept the Assyrian-Greeks demands of assimilation or to resist and stand for what they believed in.

Here is a review from IMBD:

Lights: The Miracle of Chanukah" is a fantastic storytelling feat that beats "8 Crazy Nights" by a mile. Here we have the real story of Hanukkah, albeit with not so great animation. The voice-over work and script, however, make up for it. Paul Michael Glaser plays a young Jewish man, who is befriended by an Assyrian/Greek (Leonard Nimoy.) (Paul) wants to be friends with (Leonard), but is not ready to discard the old ways of Judaism just yet. Every time he tries, a golden Star Of David, ala Jiminy Cricket, reminds him of who he is. Judd Hirsch provides a great historical narrative explaining the events that occurred. I heartily recommend this short film, since nothing better has come along.