Chanukah Plans

[Steve CDN]

Click here for menorah.

Happy Chanukah to our friends who will be celebrating this year (Jewish Year 5766) sunset December 25, 2005 - nightfall January 2, 2006

(first candle: night of 12/25;  last candle: night of 1/1).

Virtual Chanukah   appears to be an informative source for information.

Share with us the traditions of Chanukah so those of us who are not familiar with it can learn more about this time of year in your faith.

[edit]url[/edit]

 

[BernieD1]

Steve

Since our kids are long grown up and moved out, our Chanukah plans are fairly simple. Chanukah is a very minor holiday in the Jewish calendar but has gained importance and recognition due to it's proximity to Christmas. We light the Chanukah candles every nite with the attendant blessings and I try to get Marlene to make latkes (potato pancakes) as much as possible . Latkes, and other fried foods, symbolize the oil that miraculously burned for 8 days in the holy temple.

 

[Steve CDN]

Bernie,

I try to get Marlene to make latkes (potato pancakes)

One of my favorite foods...which I enjoyed when my (Ukrainian) grandmother made them for us.  Would Marlene share her recipe, so I could make some as well?  I cannot recall if the shredded potato has to be squeezed to extract the liquid or is flour added to the mix to absorb the liquid??

Latkes, and other fried foods, symbolize the oil that miraculously burned for 8 days in the holy temple

What a beautiful tradition!

Would the link to Virtual Chanukah in the original posting in this thread accurately represent the traditions of Chanukah?

 

[BernieD1]

Would the link to Virtual Chanukah in the original posting in this thread accurately represent the traditions of Chanukah?

Steve

Chabad, the group providing the site, is an ultra-orthodox proselytizing branch (seeking to increase the religiousness of Jews, rather than converting non-Jews) of Judaism. The site (and almost anything the group produces) is a good source of information along with doses of recommendations to improve the religious fervor of the reader I did not notice anything in the site that would conflict with my knowledge of an accurate portrayal.

It's early and Marlene is still asleep, but it looks like the Chabad recipe is similar to what she does. http://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article.asp?AID=103032
except that I prefer sour cream to applesauce

 

[Steve CDN]

I prefer sour cream to applesauce

Me too!  I never understood how anyone could eat applesauce with potato pancakes, and I consume a fair bit of applesauce!

Thanks for the insights, Bernie!

 

[SeySyl]

I vote for applesauce over sour cream on latkes.  There's no comparison!
Sour cream belongs only on blintzes and in borscht!  My mother and grandmother couldn't have been wrong.


              S. Sheinkopf

 

[Carl L]

Chabad, the group providing the site, is an ultra-orthodox proselytizing branch (seeking to increase the religiousness of Jews, rather than converting non-Jews) of Judaism.

That is not to say that they will not sit and chat with the goyim.    Every year at the Palm Springs Farmers Market we have run into an "Ask the Rabbi" booth.  The usual fella, from Chabad,  has a great long orthodox beard and a cheerful attitude.    He seem to most handle mostly questions from gentile folks and has engaged in long cheerful discussions with this old Lutheran.  Last time he gave me a nicely produced CD on Chanukka designed to explain the holiday to Jewish kids.  I still have it.  Why I don't know -- maybe I should pass it on to the local temple.