Tag Archives: Hanukkah

Happy Hanukkah from AntiquityNOW: Children’s Crafts for the Festival of Lights

IMG_0862For Jews around the world Hanukkah is a season of family and remembrance, and what better way to celebrate the joy and miracle of this ancient holiday than seeing the ingenuity of students from the Hollis Hills Jewish Center Nursery School in Queens, New York.

Students at the school range from ages 18 months through five years old. The slideshow below illustrates the work of children from three classes. The Lego menorah was created by a student and her father.  The children were learning about the story of the Maccabees and the miracle of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, where a small vessel of olive oil burned in the menorah for eight days at the Holy Temple. The pictures of the Hebrew letters Nun, Gimmel, Hey and Shin are translated “Great Miracle Happened There” (in Israel “Here” is substituted). Continue reading

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Celebrating a Sephardic Hanukkah with Sfenj

sfenjIn our Bon Appetit Wednesday! post for Rosh Hashanah this year we told you about the ways in which recipes and traditions for the Jewish New Year have been influenced heavily by the cultures in which they are celebrated. A Jewish family celebrating in France may eat an entirely different meal than those celebrating in India. One of the influences we discussed comes from the Sephardic foods enjoyed by Jews residing in North Africa. Today, there are Jews all over the world whose religious feasts, including those at Hanukkah feature the flavors of places like Morocco rather than more typical dishes such as latkes. Many of these families identify with both Sephardic (Spanish and North African Jews) and Ashkenazic (primarily Eastern European Jews) Jewish traditions. Their foods and traditions are a beautiful mix of cultures. Click here to read more about Jewish ethnic diversity. Continue reading

When Holidays Collide and Facebook Rules: Hanukkah + Thanksgiving = Thanksgivukkah

ThanksgivikkahTonight’s sundown marks the start of one of the most confusing holidays to spell – Hanukkah! Or Chanukah. Or Chanukkah. But that’s not all. For the first time since 1888, and not to be repeated for 79,043 years, Hanukkah and Thanksgiving, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday each November in the United States, occur on the same day. Some verbal wits on social media have dubbed this very rare occurrence as …drum roll…”Hanu-giving.” Others are calling it “Thanksgivukkah.” Whatever the favorite, at least it has 79,043 years to catch on. Continue reading