Celebrate Chanukah with the Boulder JCC

Chanukah means Dedication
Chanukah is not mentioned in Jewish scripture; the story is related in the book of the Maccabees. The First and Second Books of Maccabees contain the most detailed accounts of the battles of Judah Maccabee and his brothers for the liberation of Judea from foreign domination. These books include within them the earliest references to the story of Chanukah and the rededication of the Temple.

Learn more about the story of Chanukah

Lighting the Candles
The only religious observance related to the holiday is the lighting of candles. The candles are arranged in a candelabrum called a Hanukkiah. Some have the custom to light a Hanukkiah for each person in the family. Since most candles burn for 30-60 minutes, we often light the Hanukkiah in the home, so we can enjoy the glow of the lights and stay close for fire safety.

Each night, another candle is added from right to left (like the Hebrew language). Candles are lit from left to right because you pay honor to the newer thing first.

Blessing over the candles

Customs
One of the best parts about Chanukah is arguably the fried food, especially the latkes! Emblematic of the olive oil that miraculously lasted eight days, latkes are a delicious way to tell the story of this eight-night holiday.

Historian and rabbi Gil Marks explained, “We’re not exactly sure what foods were traditionally made prior to the 14th century, when two types of Hanukkah foods emerged on the record, dairy foods and fried foods.”

Sephardic Jews made many variations of fried sweets for the holiday, while Ashkenazi Jews in Northern Europe made fried blintzes and donuts. Italian Jews in the 15th century made fried ricotta cheese pancakes (“cassola”) which were arguably the first “latkes.”

A dreidel (sevivon in Hebrew) is a spinning top, with four sides, each side featuring a different Hebrew letter: nun (?), gimmel (?), hay (?) and either shin (??) or peh (??).

The game of dreidel is often explained with a legend that, during the time of the Maccabees, when Jewish children were forbidden from studying Torah, they would defy the decree and study anyway. When a Greek official would come close they would put away their books and take out spinning tops, claiming they were just playing games.

Menorah or Hanukkiah
Many people refer to the Hanukkiah as a menorah. The name menorah is used only to describe the seven-branched candelabrum that was housed in the Jewish Temple. The Hanukkiah holds nine candles: one for each night, plus a shamash (servant) at a different height.