Celebrate Chanukah

In 2017, the first night of Chanukah is Tuesday, December 12. This site will help you and yours celebrate Chanukah and will be updated as we get closer to that date. Also, pass along your ideas and we’ll share them here!

TRS Chanukah Connection Insert (includes blessings, readings for each night, lyrics to songs, etc)

TRS Pinterest Chanukah Board: we’ve got tons of recipes, craft and decoration ideas and more (you don’t have to be signed on with Pinterest to check it out)!

Women of TRS offers two options to find the perfect holiday gifts: The Chanukah Bazaar and Judy’s Place. Check back here closer to the date for more information.

Lighting the Candles

Union for Reform Judaism Virtual Menorah

Blessings (including audio)

Learning About the Holiday

Union for Reform Judaism Chanukah 101

My Jewish Learning Chanukah 101

The Story of Chanukah

Playing Dreidel

Materials:
1 dreidel per group of players
A bunch of small items to act as counters; raisins, pretzel sticks, M&M’s, chocolate
coins, beans, bingo chips, etc.

Game Play:
• Divide the counters equally among the players.
• Every player contributes one counter into a central pile. This becomes the “pot.”
• Players spin the dreidle in turn and contribute or collect items from the pot based upon which letter faces up when the dreidle stops its spin.

Winning:
The player who gains the most items wins.

Dreidle Facts:

The letters on the dreidle stand for the Hebrew phrase “Nes Gadol Haya Sham” – “A Great Miracle Happened There”
Dreidles in Israel have a different 4th letter (Pey) to stand for “Nes Gadol Haya Po” – “A Great Miracle Happened Here”
The dreidle originated in Eastern Europe. The word “drey” means “spin” in Yiddish.
The Hebrew word for dreidle is “s’vivon”.
There is a legend that Jewish children used dreidles during the times of the Greeks as a way of hiding the fact that they were doing Jewish study, which was forbidden.

My Jewish Learning Dreidle game

For Families

TRS Chanukah Parent Packet (great for classroom presentations!)

Union for Reform Judaism Learn About Chanukah Traditions with Shalom Sesame (and more)

Union for Reform Judaism Activities for Toddlers and Twos

NFTY Teen Resources

Books

Our library also has some Chanukah books for you to check out:

Board Books

Bright Baby Touch and Feel Hanukkah

Elmo’s Little Dreidel by Naomi Kleinberg

Happy Hanukkah, Curious George by Margret and H.A. Rey

Picture Books

Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama by Selina Alko

Eight Winter Nights: A Family Hanukkah Book by Laura Krauss Melmed

The Count’s Hanukkah Countdown by Tilda Balsley

How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? by Jane Yolen

Cookbooks

Maccabee Meals: Food and Fun for Hanukkah by Judye Groner and Madeline Winkler

Adult

How to Spell Chanukah and Other Holiday Dilemmas: 18 Writers Celebrate 8 Nights of Lights edited by Emily Franklin

A Kosher Christmas: ‘Tis the Season to be Jewish by Rabbi Joshua Plaut

Music

OySongs has a great selection of downloadable Chanukah music

Other Fun Stuff

Chanukah Quiz