Hanukkah at Home - The First Night

Scenes from our house on the first night:

Happy Hanukkah to those who are celebrating!

Scrappy Gen

Let's Remember!

Advent Calendar - Hanukkah Music - Miracle

The singing sensation, the Maccabeats, from Yeshiva University in New York is back with another uplifting Hanukkah song. With lyrics and music by Matisyahu, here is Miracle:

Doesn't it just make you happy? Here is the original by Matisyahu himself: 



Happy first day of Hanukkah to those who celebrate the Festival of Freedom!


Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!


Read all posts about Hanukkah. 

This post is part of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories at GeneaBloggers. Today's prompt is: Christmas Music: What songs did your family listen to during Christmas? Did you ever go caroling? Did you have a favorite song?

Hanukkah Bling - Temple Israel Hanukkah Celebration

Yesterday we lit candles in celebration of the approaching Festival of Lights.

The kids brought their Hanukkah menorot (plural of menorah) to Hebrew School and then joined their families for the candle lighting. How cute is this purple cat?

I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the different styles of menorot on display. This one is perfect for New Hampshire.

A kosher Hanukkah menorah has eight oil or candle holders in a straight line and a ninth one placed higher than the rest. 

A Hanukkah menorah should be beautiful, but other than that can be any design, material or color. 

Many people make their menorot. It's perfectly kosher.

Simple is beautiful too.

My son received a new Hanukkah menorah this year from his Aunt. Guess what he loves to play.

Tomorrow night is the first night of Hanukkah. Temple Israel will celebrate again when they unveil a new outdoor Hanukkah menorah, a sculpture by Portsmouth artist, Sumner Winebaum. The entire Portsmouth community is welcome. 

Temple Israel was the first Jewish temple is New Hampshire and has been in the current building for over 100 years. The building was purchased from the Methodist community. 

Happy Monday!

Scrappy Gen

Let's Remember!

Advent Calendar - Grab Bag - Hanukkah Treasures

Five nights till Hanukkah!


Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!

This post is part of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories. Today's prompt is Grab Bag: Author's Choice: Please post from a memory that helps you remember Christmases [or holidays] past. 

Hanukkah at Our House - Wordless Wednesday

Six nights till Hanukkah!

But who is counting?

Scrappy Gen

Let's Remember!

Advent Calendar - Hanukkah Traditions

The most important Hanukkah tradition is lighting the candles. This is why most Jewish people do not decorate the exterior of their homes. Nothing should diminish or outshine the light from the Hanukkah menorah.


We light the candles 

• to recognize the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days instead of one
• to remember those who have fought for our freedom
• to celebrate the freedom we enjoy to worship however we choose

This YouTube video explains how to light a hanukkiah, or Hanukkah menorah. Menorah translates as lamp and can refer to many different types of lights, including one with seven branches. A hanukkiah has nine branches. 

After being lit, the hanukkiah should be set in a street facing window or doorway so that all can see its light. No work (i.e. dishes, laundry, etc.) should be done while the candles are burning. Having done both, I can share that sitting in a darkened room by the light of the hanukkiah has a similarly peaceful feeling to sitting in a room lit only by a Christmas tree. I love that about the December holidays. Peace and light are integral to many and make these dark days so much more bearable. 


Eight nights till Hanukkah! 


Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!

This post is part of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories. Other Traditions: Did your family or friends also celebrate other traditions during the holidays such as Hanukkah or Kwanzaa? Did your immigrant ancestors have holiday traditions from their native country which they retained or perhaps abandoned?

Advent Calendar - Hanukkah Ornaments

Do you Ebay? Hello, my name is Jennifer and I am Ebay obsessed...at least from November to December. Each day I spend precious minutes searching the new listings for Hanukkah related treasures.

Although I am asked every year at least once, "So, do you have a Christmas tree?", we do not have one. Christmas for some has lost its religious aspect and become more of a national holiday like the Fourth of July, so I understand the question, but we don't put up a tree, not even a Hanukkah bush. There I have said it, so maybe no one will ask me anymore.

So why do I collect Hanukkah ornaments?

They are just so darn pretty and I like anything that makes the house feel more festive during these darkest days of the year. Most of the ornaments are from Christopher Radko and Kurt Adler.

Happy Sunday!

Scrappy Gen

Let's Remember!

This post is part of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories on Geneabloggers. 

Advent Calendar–Latkes, Latkes Good to Eat!

Hanukkah wouldn’t be Hanukkah without oily foods. We eat foods fried in oil to commemorate the oil that lasted for eight days instead of one. We always have latkes at least three or four times during the eight nights. When I was newly married, I experimented with different latke recipes. I spent hours year after year grinding potatoes, adding onions, flour, eggs and spices in various quantities. They always tasted great, but one year MJ finally confessed that what he really loved more than anything were his Mom’s latkes from a secret recipe known to Jewish mothers all over the world.



No more peeling and grinding potatoes for me. We get our latkes from a box! Just add eggs and water, let sit for ten minutes, then you are ready to fry! If you want thinner latkes, add a little more water. To get them flat in the pan, use the back of your spoon with a circular motion to spread them out.

Once cooked, latkes can be kept warm on cookie sheets in the oven until you are ready to eat, but don’t be surprised if people try to gobble them as quickly as you make them. Toppings are important too. My husband likes cinnamon and sugar (heavy on the cinnamon), my son loves sour cream, my father-in-law prefers plain white sugar and my favorite topping is applesauce.

Is your mouth watering yet for some crispy, yummy goodness? Mine is. It’s going to be hard to wait until December 20th, the first night of Hanukkah this year.

What are your family’s favorite holiday foods? Leave a comment below or submit a post to the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories, of which this post is a part.

Scrappy Gen

Let’s Remember!

 

Jewish in December or The Gift of Faith - Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories

"Helping" Bubba Hang Lights

The ever productive Thomas MacEntee organized a blogging theme for the month of December called the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - I Remember Christmas. I was too new to blogging last year to participate, plus I am Jewish and wanted to give some thought to my contribution. For some, both Christian and Jewish, this can be a sticky topic. Not one to avoid sticky, I plan to embrace it. 


As you know I grew up Catholic and then converted to Judaism at the age of 22. I feel lucky because I have been able to fully experience two different religions in my life. There were a lot of reasons for my conversion, but the pivotal one was my (at the time) future children. More important to me than any particular religion was that my children be raised with one religion. Religion is important in that it gives you faith. Faith is personal and it is different for everyone. Faith supports you during good times and bad. It gives you something to grab when you need it and also confirms your belief in something greater. A shared belief and practice helps to tie a family together. My hope and wish was and is to give this gift to my children. 


During the first twenty four days of December, I plan to share both the Christmas traditions I loved as a child and also the new Hanukkah traditions I have come to enjoy as an adult. One of my great joys in life is discovering other people's customs and traditions and I am happy to talk religion with you anytime. I think it is important for true understanding and tolerance in the world that we learn about each other. Let's celebrate our differences. You will never be judged here on my blog. Do you practice a religion? What holiday are you celebrating this month? What is your favorite tradition? I would love to learn how you are spending December. Leave a comment, or if you are blogging about it, invite me over. I would love to go 'tree' visiting, or 'menorah' visiting, or...


My wish for you this December is a month of light, love, happiness and good times together with friends and family.


Happy December!


Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!

Latkes in Germany and Happy Hanukkah!

Everywhere we went in Germany, they were kind enough to offer latkes. These pretty babies we ate in Butzbach:

Well, they weren't exactly called latkes, they were called kartoffelpuffer, or potato pancakes. But if it looks like a latke, smells like a latke and tastes like a latke, then it's a latke! I lost track of how many times we ate these. Let's just say, I am very glad that we had to walk a lot, or my scale would have been very unhappy with me. We usually had the kartoffelpuffer with applesauce, but they offered them with numerous topping choices, including lox and sour cream. Oh, oily delight, how I miss you. 

If you celebrate Hanukkah, I hope you enjoy a wonderful eight nights! With our oldest home for a quick visit from college, we lit the first candle last night.

Scrappy Gen

Genealogical Connection: What did your ancestors eat for their holiday? How does it differ from your celebration today?