Chanukah
Chanukah
On Chanukah we celebrate the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its defilement by the Syrian Greeks in 164 BCE, when the Jews successfully revolted against King Antiochus of the Seleucid Empire.
Judah the Maccabee, the eldest son of the priest Mattathias, led the revolt. The eight-day celebration was patterned after Sukkot, though later rabbinic tradition attributed the length of the festival to a miraculous small amount of oil that burned for eight days.
A central part of the holiday is the lighting of the chanukiah, or menorah, an eight-branched candelabrum to which one candle is added on each night of the holiday until the chanukiah is full of light on the eighth night. To commemorate the oil that kept the menorah lit, we eat foods fried in oil, such as latkes and jelly donuts.
Each year Havurah hosts at least one Chanukah celebration, bringing people of all ages together for singing, candle lighting, story telling, and more. The popular CD, "Just in Time for Chanukah," was produced by Havurah Music Coordinator Ilene Safyan and Havurah founding member Margie Rosenthal. You can find many of their songs here on CD Baby.
Sun, October 27 2024
25 Tishrei 5785
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Havurah Updates
Link Correction to Video Recording of Let There Be Light Vigil (Oct. 7, 2024)
Click here [link corrected] to access the video recording of Let There Be Light: A Vigil to Honor All t
Upcoming Events
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Sunday ,
OctOctober 27 , 2024
Sunday, Oct 27th 9:00a to 1:00p
The holidays are over! Time to disassemble the sukkah and take it down to the basement! Members, please sign up on the High Holiday Volunteer Signup to help us out! -
Sunday ,
OctOctober 27 , 2024
Sunday, Oct 27th 11:00a to 1:00p
Join us to hear about plans for the future of Havurah and give your input! -
Sunday ,
OctOctober 27 , 2024
Sunday, Oct 27th 11:00a to 2:00p
RSVP for key event information. This is an opportunity for Havurah teens (grades 7-12) hosted by Tivnu and Havurah's Teen Engagement Committee. This project will be at Hazelnut Grove, a self-governed tiny house village. We will build planter boxes for the community and assist with any other work the residents of Hazelnut Grove ask us to help with. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to use tools to build stuff – our staff will teach you. -
Sunday ,
OctOctober 27 , 2024
Sunday, Oct 27th 2:30p to 5:00p
Come to a MACG (Metropolitan Alliance for the Common Good) training session hosted by Havurah's MACG committee. RSVP at https://www.macg.org/octla -
Monday ,
OctOctober 28 , 2024
Monday, Oct 28th 6:00p to 7:30p
We are resuming our monthly letter writing on the last Monday of each month to write letters to our lawmakers for Israel/Palestine justice. Questions? Contact Dale Oller. Havurah members and non-members welcome. RSVP for Zoom info. -
Tuesday ,
OctOctober 29 , 2024
Tuesday, Oct 29th 7:00p to 8:30p
Join us to hear about plans for the future of Havurah and give your input! -
Wednesday ,
OctOctober 30 , 2024
Wednesday, Oct 30th 6:30p to 8:30p
Youths being called to the Torah this year will build community and ask, “What does being Jewish and becoming bar, bat, or b’nei mitzvah mean to me?” Led by Rabbi Benjamin. -
Wednesday ,
OctOctober 30 , 2024
Wednesday, Oct 30th 6:30p to 8:15p
Explore Sephardic music through lecture, recordings, and live music. Participants will have the opportunity to learn and sing songs, but no singing ability is required. Led by Eric Stern. -
Wednesday ,
OctOctober 30 , 2024
Wednesday, Oct 30th 6:30p to 8:30p
For Grades 7 and 8. -
Wednesday ,
OctOctober 30 , 2024
Wednesday, Oct 30th 6:30p to 8:30p
For Grades 9-12.