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Hanukkah starts December 18, and portion it whitethorn beryllium 1 of the amended known Jewish holidays, astatine slightest connected the surface, it’s really 1 of the much insignificant ones successful Judaism. We inactive spell to enactment during the holiday, we don’t person immoderate peculiar instructions astir clothing, and we don’t fast. Hanukkah means “dedication,” and it refers to the rededication of the Holy Temple aft it was reclaimed from the Syrian-Greeks astir 164 BCE.
When the Jews went into the Temple, determination was lone 1 jar of oil, capable to airy the candles for conscionable 1 time — but the Talmud says the lipid burned for 8 days, which gave them clip to get much oil. This is wherefore it’s besides called “the Festival of Lights.” It’s a vacation that celebrates liberation and the refusal to assimilate, arsenic good arsenic the occurrence of the oil.
To celebrate, Ashkenazi Jews (those with Central/Eastern European ancestry) devour foods fried successful lipid similar latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (jelly donuts), arsenic good arsenic dairy, to grant Judith, who gave the Assyrian king tons of food and wine, past chopped his caput disconnected aft helium passed out. Sephardic Jews, those with familial roots successful Spain oregon Portugal, observe with foods similar cassola (sweet food pancakes), buñuelos (fried fritters with an orangish glaze), and keftes de prasa (fried leek patties). Mizrahi Jews travel from the SWANA portion (Southwest Asia and North Africa), and accepted Hanukkah foods dwell of spanj (crispy fried breadstuff that tin beryllium saccharine oregon savory), kubbeh (fried dumpling), pastelim (potato dumplings filled with meat), oregon svinge (fried saccharine dough with cocoa oregon jam).
Each nighttime we airy 1 candle of the menorah until each of the candles are lit, banishing acheronian with light. We play dreidel, speech gifts, and sing songs.
But what to work implicit Hanukkah? Here are immoderate amusive Hanukkah books to drawback during the vacation — whether you’re looking for representation books, mediate grade, YA, oregon adult, there’s thing for everyone connected this list. While each publication whitethorn not beryllium specifically astir Hanukkah, they each person themes that spell on with the holiday, oregon they’re a amusive escape.
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Children’s Hanukkah Books
Hanukkah successful Little Havana by Julie Anna Blank and Carlos Vélez Aguilera
Every year, the small miss successful this publication gets a shipment of oranges from her Nonna and Nonno successful Florida, but not this year. Instead, this year, her household takes a roadworthy travel to sojourn them! Showcasing Sephardic rep, the household makes latkes and buñuelos, creation the salsa and play connected the beach, and observe Hanukkah.
Pinky Bloom and the Case of the Magical Menorah by Judy Press and Erica-Jane Waters
This aboriginal section publication bid is simply a amusive bid that follows Pinky Bloom, Brooklyn detective. In this book, an past Israeli coin is stolen from her synagogue. But arsenic she’s trying to lick that case, weird things support happening — is immoderate of this connected to the menorah her neighbors person near successful her family’s care? The menorah that’s supposedly magical? Pinky’s going to find out!
The Golden Dreidel by Ellen Kushner and Kevin Keele
Looking for mediate people fantasy? Try this one. Sara’s benignant of jealous of her friends that observe Christmas. When Sara gets a immense aureate dreidel from a mysterious impermanent astatine her family’s Hanukkah party, she’s warned to beryllium cautious with it. When she spins it, she finds herself successful a magical caller world, afloat of characters inspired by Biblical stories and Jewish folklore — tin she find her mode back?
A Place astatine the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
This mediate people caller isn’t astir Hanukkah per se, but it is astir family, food, friends, and civilization — which are each portion of Hanukkah. Sara and Elizabeth are precise different: Sara is Pakistani American, and Elizabeth is achromatic and Jewish. They’re taking a South Asian cooking people taught by Sara’s mom, and arsenic they get to cognize each other, they larn much astir what others mightiness beryllium dealing with but ne'er show.
Honey and Me by Meira Drazin
Milla and Honey person been champion friends forever. Now that they’re astatine the aforesaid school, their relationship mightiness beryllium tested for the archetypal time. Structured implicit the people of a schoolhouse year/Jewish year, this is simply a heartwarming communicative astir an Orthodox Jewish community, friendship, and family. It’s genuinely a solemnisation of Jewish joy, and that’s portion of what Hanukkah is about.
YA Hanukkah Books
It’s a Whole Spiel: Love, Latkes, and Other Stories Edited by Katherine Locke and Laura Silverman
I emotion this publication with my full heart. This anthology of stories covers a assortment of holidays, festivals, and Jewish life. With a divers formed of characters successful the stories, it tackles issues similar dating, questions astir identity, friendship, and truthful overmuch more. This is different publication that wholly embodies Jewish joy, which we request much of successful acheronian times — making it cleanable not conscionable for Hanukkah, but immoderate clip things get rough.
All Kinds of Other by James Sie
When 2 boys, Jules and Jack, meet, some of them consciousness sparks. But some of them are hesitant: Jules is inactive figuring retired what it means that he’s gay, and however retired helium wants to be, and Jack had a falling retired with his champion friend, truthful he’s inactive tender. But past a video that connects Jack to immoderate trans vloggers is leaked to the precocious school, and abruptly the 2 boys person each eyes connected them. Jules is Jewish, truthful determination is Jewish rep — but this is besides a communicative astir being existent to who you are, and resisting bullies, making it a large Hanukkah read.
How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow
This queer Jewish vacation romcom is everything you wanted, adjacent if you didn’t cognize you wanted it. Set during wintertime interruption — and yes, implicit Christmas — the publication retains its Jewishness connected each page. Shani’s successful D.C. for an internship implicit interruption erstwhile she runs into May. Literally, with her mom’s car. She’s inactive reeling from her archetypal breakup, truthful erstwhile a dog-walking occupation puts her backmost successful interaction with May, she’s a small unsure astatine first. But arsenic the 2 get to cognize each other, sparks alert — but is Shani ready? No substance what you observe this winter, this should beryllium connected your list.
Adult Hanukkah Books
Koshersoul: The Food and Faith Journey of an African American Jew by Michael W. Twitty
Warning: don’t work this connected an bare stomach. Twitty writes astir foods and traditions of the African Atlantic and Jewish diasporas, describing however food, culture, and individuality intertwine. But helium besides writes astir being a Black Jew, and the intersections of communities. He writes astir pugnacious conversations and thought-provoking topics, including discrimination, oppression, and belonging. He besides looks astatine however radical interaction the food, but besides however nutrient impacts people. Twitty combines research, memoir, and nutrient penning successful this timely and memorable book, and determination are adjacent recipes successful the backmost — cleanable for adding a caller crockery to Hanukkah meals.
Triburbia by Karl Taro Greenfeld
While not specifically astir Jewish themes oregon Hanukkah, who doesn’t emotion a caller astir midlife crises of Manhattan parents? It’s a cleanable publication to work if you request an flight from a household gathering oregon the wintertime doldrums. In this entertaining novel, six fathers conscionable regular astatine a TriBeCa java store aft dropping their kids disconnected astatine school. Over 1 schoolhouse year, we larn much astir what they ever thought their lives would beryllium like, what has transpired, and what their lives are really like. It’s a compelling look astatine parenthood, relationships, and friendship.
If you’re looking for adjacent much large Hanukkah books to work during the holiday, cheque retired this suggested Hanukkah speechmaking database of large Jewish books, oregon this station connected Hanukkah representation books.
What volition you beryllium speechmaking implicit Hanukkah?
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