Every child in Israel eagerly awaits Hanukkah—and so do adults! How can anyone pass up a sufganiah—a soft, warm, jelly-filled donut? These donuts, traditional Hanukkah treats, are fried in oil in remembrance of how the Lord provided enough consecrated oil to keep the light shining in the Temple after it was recaptured from our enemies.

If you stroll down the streets in Israel during the Hanukkah season, you’ll see a hanukkiah—a nine-branched candelabra—in the window of virtually every house. These sparks of light, shining during the darkest time of the year, remind everyone of the miracle that took place in the Temple.

Although the Temple is no longer standing, Israelis (and Jews around the world) light the hanukkiah to remember its importance. The glowing candles are a symbol of freedom and protection from the foes that threatened the Jewish people. Nowadays, beset by physical threats from neighboring countries and biased attacks from the global media, Israelis sense a special kinship with the freedom fighters of old.

As believers in Messiah, Hanukkah reminds us that Jesus, the Light of the World, walked and taught in the Temple, preaching salvation and spiritual freedom. Celebrating Hanukkah as believers thus adds a special dimension to the holiday. Retelling the Hanukkah story, singing the traditional songs and playing games creates warm memories as we remember the Light of the World, the Giver of salvation and the One who protects and provides for our families.

During Hanukkah, children take turns lighting the candles on the hanukkiah, and parents reflect on the freedom and protection given by God. We thank the Lord for His salvation!

Source consulted:

• Response to Modernity by Michael Meyer
• “Hanukkah, American Style” www.myjewishlearning.com

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Not-too-Healthy Potato Latkes

(serves 12)

Come on, this recipe is way too easy and too delicious to NOT try it! If you’re feeling guilty about so much frying, just remember: the miracle of Hanukkah is that Jewish people have been eating latkes for 2,000 years and we still survive!

• 4 medium potatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Oil for frying
• Applesauce or sour cream (optional)

Grate potatoes and remove as much liquid as possible. Then grate the onions, combine with the potatoes, and mix together with the eggs, salt and flour. Drop by heaping tablespoonsful into hot oil in frying pan, and press with a spoon until they measure about 3 inches across. Fry until light brown, turn over and fry the other side. Drain on a paper towel and serve hot. Latkes are traditionally served with applesauce or sour cream. Have a Happy Hanukkah!

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Sweet Sufganiyot

(makes 25 donuts)

• 3 cups of flour (sifted)
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg (optional)
• Jelly (any flavor)
• Oil for frying
• Powdered sugar

In a bowl, blend together the flour, baking powder, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, eggs and sour cream. In a skillet, heat the oil and when it is very hot, drop tablespoons of batter into it. When the batter puffs up and turns light brown, turn it over and cook the other side. Set on a paper towel to cool and drain. Then, make a small hole and fill with jelly (a syringe can make this easier), then sprinkle with powdered sugar. These are absolutely delicious when served immediately!

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Renewing the Significance of Hanukkah

Poor Hanukkah—for centuries it was a barely-noticed minor holiday in Judaism. What brought Hanukkah into the spotlight? Oddly enough, it was Christmas!

In the late nineteenth century, the Jewish people in Germany were among the most prosperous and most assimilated Jewish populations in the world. Eager to demonstrate they were good Germans, many were drifting away from Jewish identity and thought nothing of celebrating Christmas along with their Christian neighbors. Troubled by this trend, a gathering of Reform rabbis in Leipzig, Germany in 1871 resolved to encourage congregants to emphasize the celebration of Hanukkah, which happens to fall around the same time of the year.

Not many years later, American Jews were faced with the same dilemma. Jewish immigrants from Europe, wanting to show what good citizens they were, jumped on the Christmas celebration bandwagon. The Jewish Daily Forward in New York City reported, “Who says we haven’t Americanized? The purchase of Christmas gifts is one of the first things that proves one is no longer a greenhorn (new arrival).” But by the late 1920s, Hanukkah had begun to come into its own, as rabbis here took the same stand as their colleagues in Germany.

The establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 highlighted one vital dimension of the Hanukkah story. Jews around the world could identify with tiny Israel’s valiant efforts to gain and retain its independence against great odds, just as the Maccabean freedom fighters of long ago had done.

Source consulted:

• Response to Modernity by Michael Meyer
• “Hanukkah, American Style” www.myjewishlearning.com

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Hanukkah Facts

Hanukkah memorializes the defeat of Assyrian Greeks by the priestly Maccabean family in 162 BC. It is not recorded in the canon of the Old Testament (which was already completed by this time).

Hanukkah is celebrated beginning on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually falls some-time in December.

The lighting of the candles reminds Jewish people of the tradition of the Hanukkah miracle. When the Maccabees retook the Temple, they found that there was only enough olive oil left to keep the eternal light in the Temple burning for one day. Tradition says that the light burned for the eight days that it took to make more oil.

The story of Hanukkah is alluded to in the first Book of Maccabees, chapter 4. This book is part of the Apocrypha, a collection of inter-testamental writings that are accepted as historical by Jewish people, but are not part of the Old Testament.

It is traditional to eat foods fried in oil during the eight days of Hanukkah to commemorate the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days. In Israel, sufganiyot, a special jelly doughnut, is enjoyed, but outside of Israel the traditional foods during this time are latkes, potato pancakes, dipped in either sour cream or applesauce.

The only mention of Hanukkah in the Bible is in John chapter 10:22, where Jesus is found to be walking in the Temple area on what is called “the Feast of Dedication.”

Hanukkah is celebrated for eight nights in Jewish homes, and it is customary to give the children presents on each day.

Hanukkah is a joyous holiday and in many Orthodox Jewish communities, the children do not go to school. Carnivals and parties are held, and games are played with colorfully decorated tops called dreydls.

The Hanukkah menorah is a nine-branched candelabra, called a hanukkiah. The middle candle is always there, but as the nights go on, you place additional candles from right to left as you face the hanukkiah. The candles are lit with the middle candle—known as the “servant” candle, from left to right (lighting the newest candle first).