Hanukkah
Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem (hanukkat ha-mizbeah) in the year 164 BCE. According to the book of Maccabees, Jews were not able to celebrate Sukkot that year because of the impurities in the Temple, and so they established a delayed 8-day celebration in the Hebrew month of Kislev. According to legend, when the Maccabees re-entered the Temple, they could find only enough oil to light the Menorah for one day; but a miracle happened and the lights remained bright for eight days.
There are special liturgical additions in our services during Hanukkah, but the most prominent aspect of the holiday is the kindling of the hanukiyyah (8-branch candelabra) each evening to fulfill the mitzvah of pirsumei nissa (publicizing the miracle). At B’nai Israel, our celebration is always marked by a special community event.
Hanukkah Facebook Connections – This Hanukkah be sure to snap a picture of your family lighting candles and put it on our Facebook page. Let’s share the holiday together!
hanukkah celebrations
Bonim & Machar: Hanukkah Celebrations (Grades K–5)
Sunday, December 13
1:00–2:00 PM
Gather your supplies and get ready to make some awesome Hanukkah goodies! Play some dreidel and hang out with all of your Bonim and Machar friends. Watch for an email from Sarah Jarvis, Director of Youth Engagement, to register for this program.
Light with Light with Eliana Light, Artist-in-Residence
Monday, December 14
6:30 PM
On this Festival of Lights, let’s sing, celebrate, and explore all the light in our lives. Enjoy music, stories, and candlelighting.
Click here to register.
Festival of Light: Eight Enlightening Hanukkah Facts
Wednesday, December 16
12:00 PM
Join our shlicha Netta Asner-Minster for eight unique facts about Hanukkah in Israel specifically and generally. Click here for access information.
USY: Dreidel Tournament (Grades 9–12)
Wednesday, December 16
5:00–6:00 PM
Get your dreidels ready for spinning and see who comes out the winner in this epic dreidel tournament! Watch for an email from Sarah Jarvis, Director of Youth Engagment, to register for this program.
It's an Israeli Hanukkah Celebration! (for families with kids grades K–6)
Thursday, December 17
6:30 PM
Ever heard of the Moroccan doughnut, sfenj? Know about Israeli inventions? John our shlicha, Netta Asner-Minster, to make sfenj while hearing about eight Israeli inventions that have brightened the world. You better listen carefully, there will be a Kahoot as well!
Click here to register and to receive the recipe for the sfenj.
Wed, January 20 2021
7 Shevat 5781
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