8 days of lights
A guide to Hanukkah events around the country
Hanukkah is a special time of year when families and friends unite for fun and food. All around Israel, you will see hanukkiot lit in apartment windows, front gates and even on sidewalks. With schools closed for the eight-day long holiday, the country is alight with activities for the whole family, including concerts, festivals, museum workshops and organized nature hikes. Following are some highlights for the holiday, which begins Sunday night.
The Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival
The 20th Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival takes place at the Jerusalem Cinematheque during Hanukkah, featuring the best of contemporary Jewish-themed films, documentaries, shorts and restored classics from Israel and abroad. The festival will open with a celebration of the life of singer Arik Einstein. Another highlight of the festival is the screening of a digitally restored version of Barbra Streisand’s beloved 1983 musical Yentl.
December 1 to 6. For more info visit www.jer-cin.org.il
Matisyahu Concert
Jewish American reggae singer Matisyahu returns to Israel during Hanukkah to perform a concert at Jerusalem’s Zedekiah’s Cave. The singer, who is currently on a world tour, will be performing his many hits as well as new songs from his latest album, Undercurrent.
December 2 at 9 p.m. Free shuttle service will be on offer from the First Station. For tickets visit www.bimot.co.il
Hanukkah Parade
As part of strengthening the relationship between Israel and Jews in the Diaspora, Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, together with dozens of Jewish and Zionist organizations, will inaugurate a new tradition – a March of Solidarity with Diaspora Jewry. The parade begins at 2 p.m. on December 3 at Liberty Bell Park, and will continue along the city streets toward the Sultan’s Pool. The parade will include marching bands, huge floats that will feature displays from the Jewish world and gala performances by Netchi Netch and Matisyahu.
For more info visit www.jerusalem.muni.il
Holy City Tours
Yad Yitzhak Ben Zvi is hosting a number of Hanukkah-related tours this week, with candle-lighting tours of the Jewish Quarter, Rehavia and Nahlaot. Amidst the courtyards and alleyways of these neighborhoods, one will learn about the customs of lighting Hanukkah menorahs as well as the lifestyles, legends, and stories of Israel’s communities and ethnicities.
For more info, visit www.ybz.org.il
Holiday of Holidays Festival
Celebrate the best of all worlds at Haifa’s 25th annual Holiday of Holidays Festival. Coinciding with the Hanukkah and Christmas holidays, this event is a celebration of the religious and cultural diversity of Haifa. The events, which take place in Beit Hagefen, Wadi Nisnas, the German Colony and the downtown quarter, include art shows, workshops, music performances, liturgical concerts, children’s shows, dance performances, fairs, conferences and guided tours.
Runs December 6-22. For more information visit www.haifahag.com
Old City of Jaffa
During Hanukkah, the Old Jaffa Development Company will conduct a menorahs and lights tour in ancient Jaffa. The tour will pass between artists’ houses, galleries and studios that will create and exhibit antique and artistic menorahs illuminated in the dark. The tour will be spiced up with stories about life in ancient Jaffa under the rule of the Greeks and the Hasmonean dynasty period, and will include, among other things, a spectacular view of the many lights surrounding Jaffa.
Runs holiday evenings at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. For more info visit www.oldjaffa. co.il
The Golan
The Golan is a wonderful place to head to for Hanukkah, with many family events taking place across the region. Highlights include special guided tours of Ein Hakshatot, which houses the ruins of a Byzantine village located in the southern Golan Heights. The site has a spring that flows out of a double-arches structure, and also ruins of a grand Roman period synagogue. The whole family can enjoy a special night experience at the Jordan Park, which includes storytelling near the ancient sycamore tree, learning about fireflies, getting tips from a turtle for a good life and dancing with a chameleon. Take a sunset tour on the paved pathway through the Odem Forest at the Big Juba and learn about some of the geological oddities of this unique forest habitat.
Runs December 2 to 10. For more info visit www.tourgolan.org.il
Safed
Safed is the place to be during Hanukkah, as the ancient city is abuzz with activities. Both Shvil HaLev (Path of the Heart) and the Tzfat Kabbalah Center offer Hanukkah Candle Tours tours each evening, where visitors can hear the mystical stories of miracles and see the various traditions of Hanukkah candle-lighting throughout the Old Jewish Quarter of Safed. Other activities candle dreidel-making workshops as well as live music and jam sessions.
For more, info visit www.safed-home.com
Kids Design Museum Holon
During the Hanukkah holiday week, the Design Museum in Holon will offer a unique combination of activities as part of the “Hide & Seek: Maarten Baas” exhibition. The activities include a special detective tour of the exhibition and a design and technology workshop titled “Cyclone” in which kids will experience creating a game based on the principle of centrifugal force.
Runs December 4 to 10. For tickets, visit www.dmh.org.il
Bialik House
Tel Aviv’s authentically preserved Bialik House, home of the national poet, Haim Nahman Bialik, will host a special Hanukkah weekend for the whole family. Children and parents are invited to explore the secrets hiding in each room of the Bialik house to get to know the “people” (characters in costume) behind the stories of the city of Tel Aviv.
Runs December 7 to 8, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more info visit www.facebook. com/BeitHair
Bloomfield Science Museum
Children of all ages and their parents are invited to the Bloomfield Science Museum during the Hanukkah vacation to enjoy a unique experience surrounding the science of fire. How can you light fabric without burning it? What protects firefighters when flames surround them? What are the dangers of lithium batteries in electric bikes and scooters? What precautions should we take when storing them? Visitors will also have a rare opportunity to meet with firefighters to learn first-hand about firefighting and rescue operations and their importance, to see the equipment used by firefighters and, above all, to ask the firefighters all the questions they have always wanted to ask.
Runs December 4-10. For more info visit www.mada.org.il
Beit Avi Chai
Jerusalem’s Beit Avi Chai presents a theater show inspired by Natan Alterman’s song “It Was on Hanukkah.” It’s the first night of Hanukkah and Michal is afraid because tomorrow morning she is supposed to perform at the Hanukkah show at school. Special friends come to her rescue. Will she overcome the fear and become the star of the show? Following the performance, there will be a creative light-kite workshop.
Runs December 5 to 7, 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. For more info visit www.bac. org.il
Zedekiah’s Cave
Zedekiah’s Cave, one of Jerusalem’s most beautiful sites, transforms into a massive mystery site for this year’s Hanukkah holiday. This is the cave where King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, fled and tried to hide from the Babylonians. An adventure that combines a riddle with a range of activities for the whole family, including special equipment, crafts, puzzles, souvenir photographs and prizes for the potters. The adventure is accompanied by professional actors.
Runs December 4 to 6, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free shuttle service from the First Station will operate from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more info visit www.pami.co.il
Tower of David Museum
Jerusalem’s Tower of David Museum presents a special oil lamp tour during Hanukkah. As night falls on Jerusalem, participants will equip themselves with lanterns and set out for a magical tour of the citadel and the museum. One will meet actors representing personalities from different time periods, learn the exciting story of Jerusalem, walk along the walls of the citadel, sing songs, and finish with lighting festive candles and eating doughnuts. Tour is in Hebrew
Runs December 4 to 9 at 4:30 p.m. For more info visit www.tod.org.il
Orna Porat Yaron Festival
The Orna Porat Theater presents its annual Yaron Festival for Hanukkah, a two-day festival of plays for the whole family. Taking place in Ma’alot-Tarshiha, the event focuses on literature, art and theater and features shows such as Robin Hood, Sherlock Homeless and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The festival also features theater workshops as well as an array of outdoor events including performances by local bands.
Runs December 3 to 4. For more info visit https://heichal-maalot.co.il