FOOD: The tradition of eating food cooked in oil reminds us of the legend of the long-lasting cruse of oil found during the Temple clean-up. Find recipes in books and magazines and do a latke or sufganiot tasting!
GIFTS: Choose one night of Hanukkah to pick an organization everyone in the family agrees on, and give a donation instead of giving gifts to each other. Or shop together for gifts that can be donated – food to a food bank or articles of clothing to an organization that helps those in need. Doing acts of Tikkun Olam together as a family can make your Hanukkah more meaningful.
DREIDEL: While the dreidel game might have originated as a German gambling game, it holds the central meaning of Hanukkah within the driedel’s four walls – Ness, Gadol, Haya, Sham – A Great Miracle Happened There!
MUSIC: Find Hanukkah songs on line, on iTunes, in stores. The joy of music enlivens our worship services at Temple Emanu-El. Let it do the same for your family at home.