Chanukah

Chanukah is our festival of lights, a beautiful celebration of light triumphing over darkness.

Chanukah candles, gelt, dreidls, and donuts

 

For eight nights we light the chanukiah to commemorate the miracle that occurred when the Holy Temple was desecrated and later rededicated in Jerusalem. Together with our loved ones, we celebrate strength, resilience, hope, and healing. For all eight nights of Chanukah, Temple Israel sparks light into our homes, communities, and the world.

Happy Chanukah!

Chanukah Celebrations 5786


CANCELED: Bean-to-Gelt: A Hands-on Exploration of Chocolate, Judaism, and the Sweetness of Chanukah

CANCELED: Bean-to-Gelt: A Hands-on Exploration of Chocolate, Judaism, and the Sweetness of Chanukah

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Date

December 7, 2025

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Time

12:30 PM - 3:30 PM EDT

This program has been canceled. Celebrate the season with Bean-to-Gelt, a deliciously engaging workshop that weaves together the story of chocol...

Chanukah 101

Chanukah 101

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Date

December 8, 2025

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Time

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM EDT

Chanukah is a time for lighting candles, spinning dreidel, and eating latkes. But what do all of the rituals really mean? Join us online on Monday,...

December Riverway Shabbat: Chanukah Edition

December Riverway Shabbat: Chanukah Edition

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Date

December 12, 2025

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Time

6:30 PM - 10:30 PM EDT

Shabbat Shalom! Celebrate Chanukah with us at our once-monthly Riverway Shabbat on Friday, December 12!  Special guests will include Yoni B...

Chanukah Celebration for Families with Young Children

Chanukah Celebration for Families with Young Children

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Date

December 14, 2025

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Time

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT

The Village, FJECC and Religious School are having a family Chanukah celebration at Temple Israel!  Our event will feature music by Wayne Potash.  T...

Chanukah Shabbat Mishpachah

Chanukah Shabbat Mishpachah

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Date

December 19, 2025

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Time

5:15 PM - 7:30 PM EDT

Join us for a festive Family Shabbat! Enjoy an Anna's Taqueria Taco Bar dinner at 5:15PM followed by Qabbalat Shabbat services beginning at 6:00PM. ...

Qabbalat Shabbat & Chanukah Shabbat Mishpachah

Qabbalat Shabbat & Chanukah Shabbat Mishpachah

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Date

December 19, 2025

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Time

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM EDT

Gather with us onsite or online for Qabbalat Shabbat as we celebrate Chanukah together. All are welcome to join this service full of prayer, meditati...

Lighting the Chanukah Menorah

Chanukah Blessings

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיווְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל חֲנֻכָּה

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav

v’tsivanu l’hadlik ner shel Chanukah

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who hallows us with mitzvot,

commanding us to kindle the Chanukah lights

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁעָשָׂה נִסִּים לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם בִּזְּמַן הַזֶּה

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, she-asah nisim laavoteinu v’imoteinu

bayamim hahaeim baz’man hazeh

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who performed wondrous deeds

for our ancestors in days of old at this season

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לִזְּמַן הַזֶּה

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, shehecheyanu v’kiy’manu v’higiyanu laz’man hazeh

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who has kept us alive, sustained us,

and brought us to this season

Soles for All Souls sock donation boxSpread the Light — Giving Opportunity for Chanukah!

Soles for All Souls

Please bring new socks and slippers in all sizes. Temple Israel is partering with Thrifty Threads, our friends at United Parish. The donation box will be in the Atrium in Tzedekah Row throughout the week of Chanukah: December 14 – 22.

From the Temple Israel Archives:

Chanukah December 1953

In this December 11, 1953 audio recording, Temple Israel’s recently installed new Senior Rabbi, Roland B. Gittelsohn, hosts the third episode of the newly initiated This is Temple Israel television show, which focused on the history and rituals of Chanukah, including:

  • The story of the Maccabees’ battle for religious freedom, their reconsecration of the Second Temple, and the legend of the tiny flask of oil that lasts eight days
  • Discussion of the holiday’s modern message—that minorities have the right to resist conformism and the power to defeat formidable oppressors through faith and courage.
  • Nine young girls perform a Chanukah ceremony in which they each represent and explicate the meaning of one candle “light.”
  • Candle lighting