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A womans white hand and a mans black hand hold a Hanukkah candle together as they light a Hanukkah menorah

Habari Gani? How My Family is Melding Kwanzaa and Hanukkah Customs

As we each shared some favorite holiday memories, my partner asked, “So what does each candle of Hanukkah symbolize?” Puzzled, I asked him to explain what he meant. “You know, like for Kwanzaa.”

Hanukkah Reconsidered: A Split in the Jewish Soul

Abigail Pogrebin

I grew up loving this holiday – until I learned the dark side and felt like a kid discovering that there’s no Santa Claus. It turns out Hanukkah is, in part, a tale of Jew vs. Jew.

Hanukkah menorah with all the candles lit, and other lights in the background

Reclaiming the Public Square with Hanukkah Lights

Rabbi David Jaffe

According to Rashi, we light Hanukkah candles to “publicize the miracle.” What exactly is the miracle we’re publicizing – and what’s the best way for us to do so today?

Teach (and Practice) a New Jewish Value Each Night of Hanukkah

Assign a different Jewish value each one day of Hanukkah and plan appropriate activities for your family. The idea of activities is not simply doing for doing’s sake, but doing for the sake of learning. Be sure to reflect and talk afterward!

Vayeitzei for Tots: Tikkun Olam in the Everyday Lives of Our Families

September 25, 2012

A guide to help adults learn how to engage young children in a discussion about this week’s Torah portion.

Preschooler looking at hanukkiyah with unlit candles in it

Who Should Teach About Hanukkah and What Should They Be Teaching?

Courtney Naliboff

Now that my daughter is in preschool, I've come to realize that hearing about cultural and religious practices directly from the practitioners only emphasizes our otherness.

Assortment of dreidels amidst holiday lights

A Hanukkah Tradition From My Christian Mother-in-Law

Ann Imig

Sometimes we create our own traditions, sometimes we carry on a tradition we inherit, and sometimes a tradition can come from unexpected places.

Smiling girl looking on at a partially lit menorah

8 Ways to Celebrate Hanukkah that Don’t Involve Gifts

Instead of eight days of gifts, here are eight ways to celebrate Hanukkah with your kids that relate the story and celebration for your enjoyment and to help you refocus your approach:

Black Friday

Nicole Lyn DeBlosi, PhD, Rabbinical Student, HUC-JIR

On "Black Friday," I went to the mall, and for the first time since my conversion many years ago, I felt an empty pit in my stomach.

Hanukkah Matters

Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie

On Wednesday morning, as the Jews of America prepared for the beginning of the holiday that evening, the New York Times published on its op-ed page a rant written by Howard Jacobson.