How to Celebrate Hanukkah in Israel
Celebrating Hanukkah in Israel is a special event. It's a celebration of restored freedom and victory. Though Jews around the world commemorate Hanukkah on the 25th day of Kislev, in Israel Hanukkah is particularly festive. After all, to celebrate Hanukkah in Israel is to celebrate it where the story of the Maccabees took place. It's a national holiday--schools are closed, menorahs are publicly displayed and parties abound. There are many ways to celebrate Hanukkah in Israel. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Attend the annual relay race of torch-bearers. The race begins in Modi'in and ends at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Runners relay lit torches through the streets, bringing the torch to the hands of the chief rabbi who lights the first candle of a large hanukiya, the traditional Hanukkah candle holder. It is sometimes referred to as a menorah.
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Light your own hanukiya and display it in a visible place in your home. Use candles in the blue, silver and white colors of Hanukkah. Recite the traditional blessings as you light the candles.
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Attend a Hanukkah party or play put on by the schoolchildren of Israel. The festivities will include singing Hanukkah songs and playing dreidel. While in the rest of the world the characters on the dreidel stand for the message "a great miracle happened there," in Israel the message is the more personal "a great miracle happened here."
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Indulge yourself by eating the Israel's favorite Hanukkah food, sufganiyot, jelly donuts cooked in oil. Eating sufganiyot honors the ancient miracle of the sacramental oil and they're delicious as well!
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Visit Temple Mount in Jerusalem prior to the first night of Hanukkah to see the site where the Maccabees reclaimed and rededicated the Temple. It's a powerful feeling to see where the miracles of Hanukkah originally took place. Familiarize yourself with the customs and restrictions associated with visiting the site at the Visiting Temple Mount website (see Resources below).
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Tips & Warnings
It is customary to wear modest clothing when visiting the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
The Temple Mount is closed on Jewish, Christian and Muslim holidays, but it can be visited prior to Hanukkah.
Due to ongoing political unrest in Israel, check with the U.S. Department of State for current travel warnings to make sure it's safe to visit Temple Mount (see Resources below).
