I tried to forget that at the same time Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was at the UN  claiming that Israel had no roots in the Middle East and would eventually be “eliminated.”

When we got to synagogue in the morning, we took sight of our annual appeal card on our seat asking for a contribution to the synagogue.  We always make a donation on Yom Kippur, but after paying our annual dues, for tickets to High Holiday services and Hebrew School fees, we give what we can afford.

After an hour of beautiful prayer, the Rabbi started his sermon, and hence his appeal.  He kicked it off talking about a girl on the Upper West Side who goes from shul to shul (“shul hopping”) during the year to sample various activities and programs at each one.  He said that he didn’t necessarily condone her behavior but understood her need to look for the best in each community.  As I listened to him, I said to myself and to my husband, that’s me! He was talking about me (not really).  I’ve always been like that, both when I lived in NYC and where I live now.  I have never found the absolutely perfect synagogue to suit my needs.  But like the girl in the story, I belong to one and I pay my dues.  However, I don’t have everything that I need there spiritually.

The Rabbi went on to talk about our need for community, blah, blah, blah.  And then he got to the part that nearly made me fall off my seat. He stated, without hesitation, that some of the community at the shul should be able to give 10K to the synagogue  He clearly stated that this community is one with big pockets and we can help the unfortunate who do not have enough money to pay their dues attend the shul.

This is what you call the annual Kol Nidre appeal.  It happens year after year.  Most Jews haven’t been in a shul all year long, and as soon as they enter, they’re asked to make a pledge.  This is after buying tickets, very expensive ones, to attend services in the first place.  Yom Kippur is supposed to be about reflection and redemption. I believe in helping out people who need it most, believe me, but wish it could happen differently.

Let’s bring the people who haven’t been in shul all year long back.

What do you think?  Am I totally off base?

During the Jewish holidays, our families look to us to lead them through. Some of us are looking for ideas. How do we make Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur meaningful? How do we keep things interesting without breaking tradition? Are a round Challah and some apples and honey really enough?

Join me and MamaDrama on Twitter this Thursday night at 9pm EST…the ultimate diaspora…for a special High Holiday hour. We’ll talk about our traditions, food/recipes and all things Rosh Hashanah (and if you want to throw in talk about Yom Kippur, why not?  We just haven’t thought that far ahead). We’ll swap ideas, recipes and stories.  Ring in the New Year, Twitter Style.

When: Thursday, September 13th, 9-10pm EST ( (8-9 pm CT; 7-8 pm MT; 6-7 pm PT)

Hashtag: #HighHolidayHappyHour

Moderators: @peekababy, @primetimeparent, @mommymusings001, @randomhandprints

Prizes:

*Two (2)  Manischewitz bundle of goodies, great for makin’ some fab Rosh Hashana meals

*Two copies (2) of  Get Cooking: A Jewish American Family Cookbook  &  Rockin’ Mama Doni Celebration

*Two sets of Hot Mamalah: The Ultimate Guide for Every Woman of the Tribe and Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe by Lisa Alcalay Klug

RSVP: Let MamaDrama know here if you plan on joining and please invite your friends.  The more, the merrier!

Shana Tova from all of us at MamaDrama!

2. Radio Days (Written and directed by Woody Allen, 1987)

3. Yentl (Written and directed by Barbara Streisand, 1983)

4. Fiddler on the Roof (Directed by Norman Jewison, 1971)

5. Dirty Dancing (Directed by Emile Ardolino, 1987)

6. Crossing Delancey (Directed by Joan Micklin Silver, 1988)

7. Brighton Beach Memoirs (Written by Neil Simon, 1986)

8. Ushpizin  (Directed by Giddi Dar, 2004)

9. Annie Hall (Written and directed by Woody Allen, 1977)

10. Schindler’s List (Directed by Steven Spielberg, 1993)

11. The Chosen (Written by Chaim Potok, 1981)

12. Sophie’s Choice (Written and directed by Alan J. Pakula, 1982)

13. The Jazz Singer (Directed by Richard Fleischer, 1980)

14. Marathon Man (Directed by John Schlesinger, 1976)

15. Raid on Entebbe (Directed by Irvin Kershner, 1976)

16. Liberty Heights (Written and directed by Barry Levinson, 1999)

17. The Pianist (Directed by Roman Polanski, 2002)

18. To Be or Not to Be (Directed by Alan Johnson, 1983)

19. The Frisco Kid (Directed by Robert Aldrich, 1979)

20. Blazing Saddles (Written and directed by Mel Brooks, 1974)

21. Inglorious Bastards (Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, 2009)

22. Shalom Aleichem

23. School Ties (Directed by Robert Mandel, 1992)

24. History of the World (Written and directed by Mel Brooks, 1981)

25. Europa, Europa (Directed by Agnieszka Holland, 1990)

26. Life is Beautiful (Written and directed by Roberto Benigni, 1997)

27. The Hebrew Hammer (2003)

28. Lies My Father Told Me (1975)

29. Enemies a Love Story (Directed by Paul Mazursky)

30. When Harry Met Sally (Written by Nora Ephron, Directed by Rob Reiner, 1989)

I leave you with this classic line from Annie Hall to mull over:

Alvy Singer: Don’t you see the rest of the country looks upon New York like we’re left-wing, communist, Jewish, homosexual pornographers? I think of us that way sometimes and I live here.

The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust was established in 1986 by the General Assembly to teach the lessons of the Holocaust to present and future generations of Georgians in order to create an awareness of the enormity of the crimes of prejudice and inhumanity and to encourage vigilance to prevent their recurrence.  I was in high school at the time and I was invited to our State Capitol in downtown Atlanta to celebrate the Commission’s creation.  It was a pivotal moment in my life, occurring right before my first trip to Israel, where I visited Yad Vashem and got to know the country that saved so many Jews after the war, and one that continues to give Jews around the world a place to escape persecution every single day.

The Anne Frank Exhibit features 600 photographs and more than 8,000 words.  It is not only about Anne Frank and her story, but also about the events that led up to the beginning of the end for so many innocent Jews.  By tying her story into the history of the Holocaust, it helps put the experience in perspective.  It starts out with photographs of her and her family – how they lived a normal life in Munich in the 1920s before the trouble started throughout Europe and how they fled to Amsterdam, where they went into hiding in a secret annex above her father’s business, thanks to his beloved colleagues who tried so selflessly to save their lives.  She was a young, precocious girl who plastered her bedroom walls with movie stars, just as I did as a child and my own daughter does now.  She was not that different to my own daughter – curious, wide eyed, intelligent, social, brave, and beautiful.  She knew that the events taking place outside her window were beyond her control, but she never let go of the hope that one day they would all be set free.   Thanks to her father, who gave her the diary that would one day document her story for the world, her experience lives on in history and serves as a reminder of the terrible costs that unbridled prejudice, hatred and discrimination can impose upon a nation and its people.

The exhibit also reminds us that Jews were not the only ones discriminated during the War.  Handicapped people of all ages, gypsies, homosexuals, women, children were all targeted, too, and the nation’s people were brainwashed and made to feel that anyone who did not fit the Darwin equation were less worthy.  There were actually eleven million Jews and non-Jews perished during the Holocaust.  Think of all the music, works of art, medieval discoveries, acts of charity and other worthy contributions that perished along each victim’s future and what a different world this one would be if all of these innocent lives had not been so unnecessarily taken.

“First they came for the Communists,

and I did not speak up – because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I did not speak up- because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists,

and I did not speak up –because I was not a trade unionist. 

They they came for the Catholics, and I did not speak up – because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me – and by that time,

Nobody was left to speak up.”

 - Rev. Martin Niemoeller, a Protestant Pastor who spent seven years in a concentration camp.

So, my dilemma is two fold: how do I help keep the message alive as hate crimes are on the rise.  Prejudice and anti-Semitism are still lurking in our midst and are not issues of the past.  Holocaust deniers are still running rampant, even with all the proof that exists in exhibits like this one.  Who will speak for the survivors once they are gone and who will teach not just mine, but all of our children to understand this important part of our history?  As I enter the second phase and final chapter of my life, I am determined to find a way into this mission, either on a professional level of as a volunteer.

Note: Admission to the Anne Frank in the World Exhibit is FREE and open to the general public.  It’s located at 5920 Roswell Road exit off I-285, exit 25 in Parkside Shopping Center in Sandy Springs, GA.  It’s open every day of the week except Monday.  For more information, call 770-206-1558 or visit Holocaust.Georgia.Gov.

What I have rarely talked about is the fact that Daniel Pearl was a good friend of mine.  I called him Danny.  At the time of his death, we had lost touch but the event took a serious toll on me. I’ll never forget that winter day in 2002 that I happened to get in touch with an old girlfriend of his via email, and she told me to look at CNN’s home page online.  When I saw the image of him being held against his will, I could hardly breathe.  How could my friend, my sweet, sweet friend be in this situation?  I felt helpless.

The weeks that followed are a blur to me now.  The news of his death was horrible for the world, but for the people who knew him, it left a hole in our heart.

I recently found an email that I wrote a friend when I found out he had been abducted:

I have had a horrific 10 days as the journalist missing in Pakistan is a close friend of mine.  I have known him for 10 years and adore him.  It’s a nightmare…I never could have imagined anything so horrible could happen to someone I know.

And as you know from everything that you’ve read about him, Danny was not just “someone”.  He was special.  He possessed unique qualities.  He was a kind soul.  There were no pretensions, nothing fake about him.  He was a brilliant writer and loved his job as a journalist.  He loved music.  He was curious about the world and told me stories of living in Russia during the time of Jewish Refuseniks and how he had worked to help them.  He embraced Judaism yet wanted to understand and connect with all religions.  And he was brave. But you already know that about him.

I met Danny in college, when I, myself, was a Journalism student.  We became fast friends and that friendship lasted many years, starting during his 3 year stint in Atlanta at the Wall Street Journal. It was there that he took me out to lunch to tell me how how to write a good story.  It was there that I saw his bands (there were many) perform in clubs all over Atlanta, culminating with one called Ottoman Empire who opened up for the Kinks.  I will never forget that night and how awesome it was, after seeing him perform in small clubs all over the city for several years.  It was there that while I worked at CNN, I bumped into Danny at press events and remembered that sense of security and relief I got from not having to stand alone.  It was there that Danny accompanied me to seders, Hebrew language events and Woody Allen films. We were good friends and when we both left Atlanta, me for London and New York City,him for Washington, DC, he remained in touch.  We explored museums on his visits to NYC and met up in London pubs after his move there.

Our relationship became quiet when I met my husband and he met his wife, Mariane Pearl, in the late 1990s  I found out that he had married and I knew he was living in Paris.  When I visited Paris in 2000 during the Millennium, I got in touch but he was out of town.  I had no idea I’d never see him again.

Since his passing, I have re-read several of his stories and realize that what he was writing about was to help change the world, and his words came from his heart.  His colleague and old friend of mine, Helene Cooper, wrote an article exploring his work that tells it all.  She also edited a bookthat contains Danny’s WSJ writings after he died. What was hard about his death was that I didn’t know Mariane or his family, so it was hard to grieve although I did attend a NYC memorial which helped.  Helene was the familiar face on television that I followed in the days after his death.  She remains a link to him and his memory, as do other friends who also share memories of having him in their lives.

As I look back at his unfair and horrific death 10 years ago, I think about the legacy he left behind, the foundation that was created in his name, his 10 year-old son.  He was proud of who he was, and his legacy lives on in my heart.

We were members of the Temple, the biggest Reform shul in the city, and my sisters and I went to Sunday School and were had Bat Mitzvahs and confirmations.  We were involved members of the community, and it gave me a sense of pride.  But it was not one that I wore proudly amongst my peers at school.  How could I when I was one of five Jewish members in my classl?  Instead it made me feel different, along with my big curly hair and oddly shaped nose.

I went to a Jewish school until I was in kindergarten age and then I moved into the public school system, and one of my most vivid Hanukkah memories is from that year.  It’s not the kind of memory you want lingering in your mind forever.  There was a big Christmas tree in the back of the room.  The teacher had just left the room for a few minutes. Several of the kids in my class got up and started dancing around the tree, making fun of me and the other few Jews in the class for not joining in the celebration of the holiday (which we actually did, there was not much choice).  Then they started chanting songs about us.  I don’t remember the words but I know they had negative connotations.  When the teacher returned, they stopped and pretended like nothing had happened, but it was too late.  In the midst of their chanting and stomping around the tree, they had tipped it over.  The experience was alienating.

Life in Atlanta continued very much that way.  I was one of a few children to take off for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  Most of the kids were jealous that they didn’t get the days off, but no one was ever jealous or wanted to observe the holidays with me.  No one ever asked the story about how either holiday came to be.  My mother continued all the traditions and we continued to practice the Jewish faith at home and I attended Hebrew School.  When I was 15, I heard about a high school program in Israel, and I wanted to attend immediately.  My grandfather, a fervent Zionist, paid for the trip and I was off.  Off to a land where I could stand up proudly for being a Jew.  I had never experienced that kind of pride before, and that pride has stayed with me ever since.   I certainly needed it when I headed off to the University of Georgia after spending a year in Israel and encountered a room mate wearing a swastika (but perhaps that story is for another blog post).  Well, not really, but she may as well have .  She had boys make prank calls to me, asking how much money my parents earn and other making other stereotypical comments.

Fast forward to today. I moved to NY almost right out of college (after spending time abroad) and I’ve never felt that kind of shame about being Jewish since.  When I lived on the Upper West Side, I’d walk down West End Avenue saying “Shabbat Shalom” as often as possible because I could, and for no other reason.  We moved to the suburbs after the kids were born, and they both wear their Judaism on their sleeve. It makes it easier that the entire school gets off for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

I am no longer a fish out of water, rather I fit right in.  My big curly brown hair is quite accepted in NYC and when Hanukkah rolls around, we are not the only ones celebrating.  Rather we are joined by others to do so.  All of their friends want to not only know the story of Hanukkah, but they want to come over and light the candles with us, whether Jewish or non-Jewish.  We have gathered with friends and family to light the menorah, and last night, we took our annual pilgrimage into the city on Christmas Eve to see the great big menorah in front of the Plaza Hotel.  You wouldn’t get that where I came from.

As I celebrate Hanukkah Hooplah with my fellow bloggers, I am reminded of the uniqueness of the blogging community.  We have been brought together from all over the country to celebrate a holiday where some of us have more people to celebrate it with others.  Oh, if I had this feeling of support when I was growing up!

A group of sixteen bloggers, led by Renee A. Schuls-Jacobson, are blogging the eight nights of Hanukkah, Please check out the other Hoopla posts here.

I would like to thank Streit’s and Doni Zasloff Thomas a.k.a. Mama Doni, the lead singer-songwriter of The Mama Doni Band for providing each of the sixteen of us with cyber-swag. Their cross-promotional alliance is designed to celebrate Jewish culture with the young generation, a mission of both Mama Doni and Streit’s.

To win this awesome swag, leave me a comment letting me know that you’re interested. A winner will be randomly selected on December 29th.

And check out this great video by Mama Doni herself “Chanukah Fever”:

 Disclosure: I am not being compensated for participating in this campaign.

I grew up in a home with a mother who was desperately trying to shed some of her Jewish identity that she felt was forced down her throat.  Her parents had kept a strictly Kosher house.  Though they weren’t religious, she felt denied…..denied of having the experience of even just knowing how other people lived.  She lived in a very Italian neighborhood, so I am sure that Jewish people were a minority.  She loved Christmas and felt that she was an outsider looking in from year to year.  The house surrounding her own were smothered in Christmas lights and the delicious Italian bakeries sold Christmas delicacies and so forth.

So, how did I grow up?  Having pictures taken with Santa, going on Easter egg hunts.  One year (gulp) we even had a small (fake) tree that she threw into the closet every time the doorbell rang.  Clearly, something was wrong with this picture.

For me, I don’t want my children to be confused.  They have two Jewish parents, so why muddle the waters by pretending we are something we are not?  However, my mother still loves Christmas, and I must admit, I certainly do, too.  I love the songs, I love the lights, I love Christmas trees.  Every year, I clamor for invites to our friend’s homes.  Need any help decorating the tree?  Need any company on Christmas Eve?  But I realize that Christmas is truly a family holiday, and each year no one takes me on my genuine request to be included in their celebrations.

My youngest son clearly loves the holiday as much as I do.  He has been singing “Frosty the Snowman” non-stop since he learned it in school and has watched the Frosty videos on You Tube for hours on end this week.  We’ve driven around looking at the lights in my neighborhood for the last 7 nights in a row, and we’ve even gone out to Dyker Heights and the Bronx to explore the grandest of lights in other neighborhoods.

Surprisingly, or maybe not surprisingly, my kids do believe in Santa Claus.  They know that he won’t be coming to our house, but they are just a little bit jealous that he will be sliding down the chimneys of their friend’s homes.  I don’t dare discount their beliefs and don’t want to destroy their interpretation of the holiday so they keep on believing in Santa and all the joy that this holiday brings to believers.

The other day at the Stepping Stones Museum, Santa, Frosty and the Gingerbread Man were posing with kids.  My kids, who love Christmas, didn’t want their photo taken with the characters, as I had done growing up, but they did want to stand on the sidelines watching the other kids who did want to.  It was very indicative of how we spent the holiday all week: gazing at the beauty and fun of the holiday and wondering what would be like to wake up to a tree, drinking eggnog, gathering with our loved ones.  Being a minority in America, it can get frustrating to be a part of something so big but not really being a part at all.

The other day, when I put on A Charlie Brown Christmas my daughter said, quite angrily, “Why aren’t there any shows about Hanukkah?”  While there are a few, they are few and far between, and it would be nice to have more programming revolving around the holiday.  However, Hanukkah is just not as commercial as Christmas is, which is part of the charm of our holiday.  It is truly ours for eight nights.  It’s quiet, with little concern for it by American media or the public.  While the kids do get eight presents, if parents do give one to each child a day, they tend to be smaller and not as plentiful as millions of presents under a tree.  I read many comments on Twitter and by bloggers about the fact that their kids wanted to convert to Judaism during the holiday to get their share of gifts.  I am sure now that Christmas is over, they have long forgotten about that pipe dream.

Yesterday we slept in quite late.  While others were unwrapping gifts and going to Christmas mass, we were just taking it easy.  With nothing open, what is a Jew to do?  Having lived in NYC for many years before moving to the suburbs of NY, surrounded by other many other Jewish people in the same boat, a typical Christmas for us has become Chinese food and a movie.  So that is what remains.  Last night my son and I dropped off my husband and daughter at the airport, as they were going off to see his parents and family for a few days, and the two of us headed to the movies.  Unfortunately, we chose the terrible Yogi Bear, a decision I will long regret.  On the way home, at around 9pm, I turned to my son and asked him if he wanted to stop for something to eat.  He answered, completely unprompted or aware that it is the norm for Jews to have Chinese food on Christmas day, “Chinese food.”  Not sure how he knew that.  But he was right on the nose.

And the holiday would not have been the same without it.

It was a good thing I did.  They were wildly successful, and I have to say, much easier to make than the traditional potato latkes.  There is less oil, they cook faster and they’re easier to flip over.  The recipe spawns from The New Jewish Holiday Cookbook by Gloria Kaufer Greene, which I highly recommend using for any holiday meal. She writes that “It is very likely that latkes made from cheese actually predate the more popular ones made from shredded potatoes.” I like the ricotta latkes for their delicate, fluffier, sweeter texture. And as Kaufer Greene points out, they make a tasty breakfast or even a nice dessert, especially when topped with a good jam.  And as an added bonus, they are high in protein.

Tonight the ricotta latkes flew off the plate.  They are certainly part of our annual Hanukkah tradition and one that I love introducing to guests that come over.  Two three year-olds couldn’t get enough of them, and neither could the adults.

RICOTTA LATKES: Light & thin cheese pancakes

Batter:

1 (15-ounce) container part-skim or regular ricotta cheese
4 large eggs or 1 cup egg substitute
6 tablespoons flour, preferably unbleached
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For frying:

Butter, oil or nonstick vegetable spray

To serve (optional):
Jam, applesauce, plain or vanilla yogurt, and/or chopped fresh fruit optional

Put the ricotta cheese, eggs, flour, butter, sugar and vanilla in food processor or blender, in batches if necessary and scraping down sides of container few times during processing, until batter is smooth and consistency of thick cream. (Batter will be thinner than most pancake batters.)

Preheat a griddle or large skillet, preferably nonstick,  over medium heat (not hotter), and brush lightly with butter. For each latke, spoon 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons batter for each pancake onto preheated griddle. When few bubbles have risen to surface and bottoms are golden brown (pancakes will not rise), about 2 minutes, turn once and cook briefly on second side just until golden brown, about 2 minutes more.

Serve at room temperature with jam, applesauce, yogurt, sour cream or other pancake accompaniment of choice.

This recipe makes 30 pancakes.   For those on a diet, you can alternatively make no-fat ricotta latkes using nonfat ricotta cheese and egg substitute. Omit the melted butter in the batter.  Use 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.  When cooking the latkes, use a nonstick griddle that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray before pre-heating.

I was asked to co-host an upcoming Twitter Party with one of my favorite web sites, Kveller.  Kveller.com is a website for those who want to add a Jewish twist to their parenting.  I’ve been a fan of the site for a while and I’m honored to be a part of something they haven’t done before.

This is their first Twitter party, and it’s taking pace  on Monday, December 19^th from 9-10 pm(EST)!

They’ll be talking about their favorite Hanukkah treats and decorations, share their gifting strategies, and discuss how they celebrate with our families. Plus, they’ll be giving away four $50 gift cards to Magic Beans to party participants.

Party Details

WHAT: Hanukkah Twitter Party! Bring your own latkes.

WHEN:  Dec. 19, 9-10 pm ET (8-9 pm CT; 7-8 pm MT; 6-7 pm PT)

WHO: Hosts Sheri Gurock, Magic Beans, @sherigurock; Pam Lewis, @outsidevoice; Devra Renner, @parentopiadevra and me! Moderated by @Kveller and Ciaran Blumenfeld, @momfluential.

HOW TO JOIN:  Follow the hashtag #Kveller or if you’re a Twitter party pro and aren’t scared off by a Tweetgrid, join the party here.

RSVP here

Here are a few links you can tweet out:

I’m going to the #Kveller #Hanukkah Twitter party on 12/19 at 9pm ET. Join me! http://bit.ly/tdnv36

I’m talking latkes and dreidels at the #Kveller Twitter party on 12/19 at 9pm ET. Hope to see you there! http://bit.ly/tdnv36

Share #Hanukkah stories and traditions w/ me and other parents at #Kveller Twitter party on 12/19, 9pm ET. http://bit.ly/tdnv36

Disclosure: I am not being compensated for my participation at this party and all opinions expressed are my own.

(Photo: Courtesy of the Lubavitch Youth Organization)

Every year during this time we are reminded that we live near the greatest city on earth.  Christmas is spectacular and we love seeing the tree at Rockefeller Center, the decorated department store windows, the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall and so much more.  But, NYC has just as much to offer its Jewish residents who celebrate Hanukkah.  Whether it be a massive candle lighting with hundreds of other New Yorkers or Family Day at the Jewish Museum with art and music, you and your child will have many opportunities to celebrate and learn and celebrate the holiday.  Here are some of the offerings this year:

Hanukkah Family Day at the Jewish Museum

Sunday, December 18th, 12-4pm

Museum admission is $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens, $7.50 for students, free for children under 12 and Jewish Museum members.

The Jewish Museum will present Hanukkah Family Day, a fun-filled day of activities, on Sunday, December 18th from 12-4pm.  The day’s line-up includes a performance by musician Ben Rudnick, drop-in art workshops with a children’s book illustrator and inspiration by the works of Ezra Keats and family guides to the special exhibition, An Artist Remembers: Hanukkah Lamps Selected by Maurice Sendak and to Hanukkah lamps on view in the museum’s permanent exhibition, Culture and Continuity: The Jewish Journey.

1109 Fifth Avenue  at 92nd Street, New York, NY 10128
(212) 423-3200

Klez for Kids Family Concert at the Museum at Eldridge Street

Sunday, December 25th, 1pm

$12 adults; $8 students and seniors; $6 children under 12

If you’re Jewish and wondering what to do with your kids on Christmas Day, head to the beautiful Eldridge Street Synagogue where you can all sing and dance to Yiddish music at the Museum’s annual family concert.  Clarinetist Greg Wall and his band Klezmerfest will lead the audience on a musical tour of Eastern European Jewish culture ending with a festive audience-enacted shtetl wedding.

12 Eldridge Street, New York, NY 10022
(212) 219-0888

World’s Largest Hanukkah Menorah Lighting

Tuesday, December 20th – Wednesday, December 28th Friday at 3:30pm, Saturday at 8:30pm and 5:30pm on all other days

FREE

The miracle of Hanukkah takes on even greater significance for kids as they look upon the 32-foot, 4,000-pound, golden candelabra that grandly takes the spotlight near Central Park on the corner of 5th Avenue and 59th Street.  At the beginning of the holiday, a celebration will include live music, singing and folk dancing, “Chanukah Gelt” for the children and hot latkes for everyone.

Grand Army Plaza, Fifth Avenue at 59th Street

Grand Army Plaza Menorah Lighting

Tuesday, December 20th -Wednesday, December 28th

FREE

Christmas trees don’t get to have all the fun. After all, Hanukkah is the festival of lights. This massive 32-foot tall, two-ton menorah will be lit every night of the holiday.

Intersection of Vanderbilt and Flatbush Avenues

92^nd Street Y 

Tuesday-Tuesday, Dec 20th-27th, 4:30 pm (There will be no lighting for the Hanukkah Menorah on Dec 24th and Dec 25th)

FREE

Bring your dancing shoes and singing voices and end the celebration with Hanukkah chocolate gelt candies.

Lexington Avenue and 92^nd Street

1395 Lexington Avenue
(212) 415-5500

Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Saturday, Dec 17th, 2:30pm

FREE with museum admission, ages 6-12

Explore the culture and traditions of Hanukkah. Discover how people around the world celebrate this holiday and create a Hanukkah-inspired craft to take home.

145 Brooklyn Avenue 

(718) 735-4400

Poppy Seed Players: Latkes & Applesauce  at Merkin Concert Hall

Sunday, December 18th, 11 am,  For ages 4 and up.

Single tickets: $20

Merkin Concert Hall’s annual family Hanukkah revue celebrates Hanukkah in the city. This family-friendly musical play includes songs and scenes by some of New York’s funniest writers, including a Hanukkah version of A Christmas Carol, a mother and daughter making latkes together, a parody of “American Idol,” the story of “Thomas, the Shammus” and the rousing Klezmer-inspired title tune. Call for tickets at 212-501-3330 or buy them online.

129 West 67th Street 
(212) 501-3300

History Illuminated Family Program at the Museum at Eldridge Street 

December 4, 11, 18 & 25, 1pm

$15 per family.  For children ages 5 and up.

Hunt for history in the 1887 Eldridge Street Synagogue. Find the oldest object, sit on the most expensive seat in the house ($1,100 back in 1887!), and investigate Eldridge Street’s Victorian lighting and stunning stained glass. Create a gift to share with others during the holiday season.  Go online for more info or call 212-219-0302.

12 Eldridge Street
(212) 219-0302

Hanukkah on Ice in New York City at Trump Wollman Rink

Tuesday, December 20th, 6-9pm

$25 at the door (adult), $20 (child); $22 online (adult), $18 (child)

The Yeshiva Maccabeats will be singing on ice under the stars in Central Park at Trump Wollman Rink in Central Park.  Kosher food will be served and a giant ice-carved ice menorah will be lit.  Book tickets online.

830 5th Avenue, 
(212) 439-6900

Latkes + Vodkas

Tuesday, December 20th, 7pm

$15 member, $20 non-member

Join other Generation R-ers for our annual Hannukah celebration.  This year, watch a specially selected, award-winning film as part of the Russian-Jewish Cinema film festival, shining a light on Russian-Jewish artists.

JCC, 334 Amsterdam Avenue  at 76th Street
(646) 505-4444