Chanukah Games

The Dreidel Game

The dreidel game is played traditionally during Chanukah and is a favorite among Jewish children in Israel and around the world

To play this game one dreidel is used for two or more players. Each player begins with some coins, nuts,sweets or other tokens. Every person then contributes one token to the center.

The first player spins the dreidel following the rule associated with the Hebrew letter which shows on top when the dreidel stops spinning. The second player then takes a turn, and so on. When all the tokens are gone from the center the person with the most tokens wins.

The rules associated with each letter are as follows:
Hey - the spinner takes half the tokens in the center
Shin - the spinner adds a token to the center (sometimes two tokens are added rather than one)
Nun - the spinner does nothing and play passes to the next person
Gimel - the spinner takes all the tokens from the center winning the game

Chanukah is a special time For Children

Chanukah, also known as the "Festival of Lights", is an eight day holiday starting on the 25th night of the Jewish month of Kislev. Chanukah means "Dedication, goes back almost 2,400 years. Chanukah celebrates one of the greatest miracles in Jewish history.

The story of Chanukah

Over two thousand years ago when Judea was ruled by Antiochus, a Syrian king, attempted to assimilate the Jews into Greek culture by commanding them to worship Greek gods while oppressing Jewish culture and religion. A statue of Antiochus was erected in the Jewish temple and the Jews were ordered to bow down before him.

Menorah with Toys, Candy, and Gifts in Background

details
Shaffer-Smith
64 x 48 inches

Photographic Print

$149.99

The Jews refused because the Ten Commandments, given to the Jewish people by God, forbid the worship of statues and idols. A small group of Jews called Maccabees, rebelled, risking their lives to prevent the desecration of their Temple. The Maccabees won, but the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. The Jews repaired the Temple and rededicated it to God by rekindling the sacred Menorah of the temple. But only one small jar of sanctified oil was found, yet lamp stayed miraculously lit for eight days until the Jews could replenish the oil supply.

Like Christmas, Chanukah is a special time for children. Gifts and Chanukah money are exchanged. Some families give a small present on each of the eight nights of Chanukah

Hanukah Dreidel with Gelt

details

Sally Moskol
18 x 24 inches

Photographic Print

$39.99

Chanukah Games

Children and adults play with a spinning top called a dreidel. This cube-shaped dice has a Hebrew letter on each side. To begin the game, each player has 10-20 objects, often raisins or sweets. Each person puts one object in the middle. Then each person takes a turn at spinning the dreidel. The letter that the dreidel shows when it has finished spinning determines whether they win or lose the stake.

Sufganiyot or doughnuts
usually filled with fruit preserve/jam

details

Frances Gordon
12 x 16 inches

Photographic Print

$39.99

Chanukah Foods

Chanukah is a great time for eating delicious foods. Some dishes have special significance, such as latkes, a kind of potato fritter/ pancakes and donuts ( called Sufganiyot in israel ). This is because they are fried in oil and so Jewish people remember the miracle of the oil lasting eight days in the temple.

Kids Love Thanksgiving: The Jewish Harvest Festival

Sukkot

Jewish children in Israel and all over the world celebrate
Thanksgiving with the Jewish Harvest Festival called Sukkot.
In modern day Israel and around the world, Sukkot is a 7-day holiday,
with the first day celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services
and holiday meals. Sukkot is a Biblical pilgrimage festival that occurs in
autumn on the 15th day of the month of Tishri (late September to late October).
The holiday lasts 7 days. This year it took place from the sunset of October 13
- the sunset of October20/21 depending on your location in the world.

The Festival of Sukkot begins on the fifth day after Yom Kippur.
The holiday commemorates the forty-year period during which
the children of Israel were wandering in the desert.
Sukkot is also a harvest festival.

Sukkot traditions and customs have both historical and religious significance. This festival dates back to the period during which Hebrews wandered in the wilderness on route to Canaan (now Israel). During their pilgrimage, they lived in temporary booths. This open living space is called a sukkah. People also gathered in sukkot to worship and share meals. Thus, Sukkot is also called the Feast of Tabernacle. During harvest time, farmers lived in sukkot in open fields because it gave them more time for harvesting. During Succoth, farmers take this time to thank God for the crops. On each of the seven days of Sukkot, the Torah requires the Jew to take Four Species of plants and to grasp and shake them in a specific manner. These species are: the lulav (date palmfrond), hadass (bough of a myrtle tree), aravah (willow branch)— these three are actually and collectively referred to as the lulav—and the etrog (a citron, a lemon-like citrus fruit). The word Sukkot is the plural of the Hebrew word sukkah, meaning booth or hut. During this holiday, Jews are instructed to build a temporary structure in which to eat their meals, entertain guests, relax, and even sleep. The sukkah is reminiscent of the type of huts in which the ancient Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, and is intended to reflect God's benevolence in providing for all the Jews' needs in the desert. Ancient Sukkah Kids who love camping outdoors, have a lot of fun. The sukkah has at least three sides and a partially open roof covered with greenery such as olive branches. Three sides of the sukkah are covered with blue and gold fabric. Part of the fun of sukkot is decorating the sukkah with fruits, flowers and, in the United States, autumn vegetables like corn and squash. During Sukkot, a special ceremony is held each day to thank God for the harvest. Sukkot (Hebrew: סוכות or סֻכּוֹת, sukkōt ; "booths", also known as Succoth, Sukkos, Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles