Not Just for Kids: Hanukkah

Hanukkah
The twenty-fifth of Kislev to the second of Tevet
December 8, 2004 (Jewish Year 5765)

Menorah: Abram Wiesman
Background: Cory Jacoby

If you live in the northern hemisphere, the middle of winter can be gloomy and dreary. The winter sky may be dark when you get up in the morning to go to school. And it may be almost dark when you come home. If you live far enough north, you may have daylight only a few hours of the day. What a wonderful time for the Festival of Lights!

For eight days, Hanukkah candles shine in the window to brighten the night. Family and friends come to help light the candles in the hanukiyah (Menorah), to eat latkes (pancakes) and sufganiyot (doughnuts), and play games of dreidel. Presents are exchanged, songs are sung, and the story is told of brave, stubborn Judah Maccabee.

"More than 2000 years ago, a Syrian king named Anitochus, tried to force the Jews to give up their religion. Judah Maccabee let this people in a fight to drive the Syrians out of Israel. The Jews finally won back the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. They scrubbed and cleaned it and polished the huge menorah. But when the priests were ready to begin services they could only find a tiny jar of pure oil to burn in the menorah, only enough for one day. By a miracle, the oil burned on and on for eight days."

Hanukkah (rededication) has only five letters in the original Hebrew. In English there are at least 16 ways to spell it, including: Channuka, Channukah, Chanuka, Chanukah, Chanuko, Hannuka, Hannukah, Hanuka, Hanukah, Hanukkah, Kanukkah, Khannuka, Khannukah, Khanuka, Khanukah, Khanukkah, and Xanuka.

Bar by Jon Glaser

Hanukkah Blessings
Sing Rock of Ages (Maoz Tzur)
Read a Hanukkah Poem
Hanukkah Drawings
How to play the game of Dreidel
Sing I Have a Little Dreidel
Hanukkah Quick Notes and Certificates
Make a dozen Sufganiyot
Serve a plate of Latkes
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Bar by Jon Glaser

Hanukkah Sites
on the Web

Drawing by Margot Seigle

PLEASE NOTE: Clicking on the links below will take you away from the Not Just for Kids! site. Some of the following pages may have other links. Have fun as you surf, but remember the advice you read in Notes, Advice and Warnings.

Torah Tots Chanukah
Chanukah at BlackDog
Hanukkah at Billy Bear's Playground
Hanukkah from ChildFun.com
Hanukkah Crafts from the Activity Cupboard
Hanukkah - Festival of Lights from ORTnet
Let There Be (Renewable) Light: A New Look at Hanukkah
Hebrew Children Songs for Holidays
Project Genesis Chanukah Page
Channukah from Judaism 101
Chanukah On the Net
Hanukkah from The Perpetual Preschool
Send a free Hanukkah card by e-mail
And don't forget...
Yahooligans' Hanukkah Links

Epicurious Hanukkah Menus
The Jewish Holiday Kitchen

FOR HELP WITH THESE PAGES,
Many thanks to Marla Topp and her students:
Abram Wiesman; Cory Jacoby; Jon Glaser;
Margot Seigle; and Michael Rosenfeld,
and to poet Sam Evans.
Congregation Kneseth Israel, Elgin, Illinois.

Drawing by
Michael Rosenfeld

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