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Hanukkah: From Battleground to Festival of Lights
The Hebrew word Hanukkah means “dedication” and refers to the joyous eight-day celebration through which Jews commemorate the victory of the Maccabees over the armies of Syria in 165 B.C.E. and the subsequent liberation and “rededication” of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Shehecheyanu
Recite this blessing the first time you do something each Jewish calendar year (e.g., the first night of Hanukkah when you light the menorah), and to mark joyous occasions.
Galilee Diary: Galilee encounters
Three encounters from a day with 50 students from HUC, spending their first year in Israel before beginning their studies at the stateside campuses.
Shavuot History
Shavuot, known as the Festival of the Giving of the Torah, is reflected in the Bible, which recounts how, after the Exodus from Egypt, the Children of Israel proceeded to Mount Sinai in the desert.
Shavuot Customs and Rituals
Shavuot, like several other Jewish holidays, began as an agricultural festival that marked the end of the spring barley harvest and the beginning of the summer wheat harvest. In ancient times, Shavuot was a pilgrimage festival during which Israelites brought offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem – the “first fruits” of their harvest.
Tu BiShvat Treat Tree
Too cold to plant a tree outside? This tree can be the centerpiece at your Tu BiShvat party. Most materials can be found at your local craft shop (and, of course, a quick stop at your local candy store!)
Tu BiShvat Handprint Tree
Children ages 4-10 will enjoy this messy project that blooms into a beautiful tree!
Pressed Flowers Platter
Used pressed flowers to make a centerpiece for your Shavuot table to hold dry foods and make a pretty candy dish.
A Shavuot Social Action Guide
It has been said that the entire Torah exists to establish justice. Thus, through the study of Torah and other Jewish texts, Shavuot offers us an opportunity to recommit ourselves to tikkun olam, the repair of the world.