Hannukah – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Checking out Jerusalem streets before Hanukkah

December 14, 2025December 14, 2025Sharon A

The week before Hanukkah was a busy one in Jerusalem, Israel.

There is a general sense that things are returning to “normal” on the streets of Jerusalem.

Even as the horrid news comes from Australia, we must keep sharing the truth with the world.

Check out only some of what was happening:

The Jerusalem Theater held the final event of the Ambassador Summit 2025.

Ambassador Mike Huckabee was the highlighted speaker. He is always popular with his audiences.

One panel featured the mother of a fallen soldier and Israeli officials discussing the war in Gaza and the aftermath of October 7.

Fleur Hassan Nahoum, Caroline Glick, and the father of Yaron Lischinsky spoke of the global impact of antisemitism on another panel.

A buffet dinner was ready for the 1000 Christian leaders before they headed home. Hopefully, they will share the truth they witnessed and return with their followers in tour groups to see the real Israel.

What timing. Last week, the first person I met from the Ambassador Summit was artist Hooman Khlili.

And there he was being interviewed by Jodie Cohen of Newsmax as I left the theater.

2. Monday morning, I was on my way to the Machane Yehuda Market, the shuk, when I had to stop

to look at the new towers that have risen over the old area.

Suffganiot, the Israeli doughnuts for Hanukkah, are traditionally fried, sugar-coated doughnuts filled with a red jelly or jam.

The display at Teller Bakery, the first stop, had many more varieties. It was the first time I ever had Trix and blueberry cheese cake doughnuts – and for breakfast. What a sweet start for the “Suffganya Crawl” with Jamie Geller and her Aish production team.

Oh, how very sweet it was!

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They stopped for a few minutes in the shuk to make a Happy Hanukkah video and pose for a photo.

In the Haba bakery stall in the shuk, he was making suffganiot. Only the traditional ones, not rated high, but the least expensive and the freshest if you got one that was straight from the fryer.

It had been months since I was in town on Agripas Street. Helen is a new bakery and restaurant.

The line of customers waiting for service was long and impressively patient.

The items on display made me wonder how many calories are in only looking.

This seems to be the year of the Lotus suffgania. These at Helen were the most expensive of the day. But considered a 10 by Jamie and large enough for two. But not my favorite flavor.

Gagou de Paris had plenty of customers lined up in front of its inviting display cases.

Getting there was not so simple due to all the light rail work going on.

However, taking a photo of the displays was not so simple either. These wild berry suffganiot must have been really good. I did not get a taste to sample. They were gone by the time I reached the back of the store to the tables. Pistachio was still available, salty, not sweet, which was different.

From there, we went to the roof of the new Suzana and Ivan Kaufman Aish Institute for Women’s Education, also on King George Street. Of course, I had to get a photo of the view from the roof first.

There, we had more samples from other artisan bakeries, and one non-dairy cream was surprisingly good.

3. I was off to the Old City and the Tower of David.

The Roladin suffganiot are well known for their inventive varieties each year, as these in Mamilla Mall.

This time of year, it is hard not to find suffganiot.

The plaza outside Jaffa Gate was too empty given the pleasant weather.

But the tourists are arriving.

People who have not been to Jaffa Gate recently will be surprised to find it covered with stickers. The friends and families of fallen soldiers have made stickers to share the names and faces of those lost.

The big archeological news this past week, before Hanukkah, was the Hasmonean Wall revealed in the Tower of David Kishle.

Archeologist Amit Re’em has been exploring the space for 25 years. On Monday, he was interviewed by the media as his extensive work was presented worldwide.

In around two years, a glass floor will enable the public to view the site.

4. Ambassador Mike Huckabee was the special guest for NGO Monitor on Wednesday night at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in a discussion with Gerald Steinberg and Olga Deutsch.

He was the first and last speaker I heard this week. Not a problem, I could listen to him every day.

Great timing! The Storm called Byron only brought some rain as we headed home at night.

5. Inside the Jaffa Gate was quiet as three women walked toward the Muslim Quarter.

But the shops are open, and Santas are out, waiting for the holiday tourists.

The Hanukkah lights are colorful over the Jerusalem streets, ready for Hanukkah.

Hanukkah starts at sunset Sunday, December 14, 2025. We have had our share of rain for a while. I hope the week is dry. There are too many tours and events to list now. It’s a family time to celebrate together.

HAPPY HANUKKAH

Hanukkah: See the Lights

December 25, 2022December 25, 2022Sharon A

Lining the Jerusalem streets on חנוכה. no matter how you spell it, are the Hanukka or Chanukah lights, as we shared last week,

This week’s post is again about lights, the Hanukiot, or Chanukah menorahs as we called the 8-branch candelabras in the United States, whether for candles or olive oil.

There is an electric hanukiah outside Beit Hanasi, the Israeli President’s Residence, again this year.

Off Jerusalem hotel lobbies, there are hanukiot, ornate silver ones, and smaller ones for guests to light each night of Chanuka.

The Begin Center lobby also had a large hanukiah, with sufganiyot, donuts, nearby ready for the second night of Hanuka.

The Jerusalem Cinema City had a large Chabad menorah lit for the fifth night, it seems hundreds of their hanukiot fill the Jerusalem street corners.

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The large one in Mamilla Mall is back with music and a special lighting ceremony each night. I hope to get there for the eighth-night celebrations.

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If you eat in a Jerusalem restaurant, your meal may be delivered to the table only after the candles are lit, and restaurant patrons join in singing along with the staff who light the hanukiah.

But this year I was also in Tel Aviv and saw other hanukiot.

On the bus to the new ANU Museum of the Jewish People, I was impressed by this large billboard with a colorful menorah, selling toothpaste.

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In the museum, were many hanukiot with interesting designs and stories.

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The Statute of Liberty branches has an eagle on top.

Also, an eagle is on top of this 18th-century brass menorah originally in the Great Synagogue on Tlomackie Street, in Warsaw, Poland. The Polish symbol of the eagle was often placed on Judaica as a sign of gratitude and allegiance to the regime of the time.

In 1939, the rabbi and secretary of the synagogue buried the two hanukiot in a secret hiding place. After, they offered to sell the synagogue valuables to raise money for Polish citizens to be saved from the Nazis. Marguerite Wenner Gren of Stockholm bought the menorah for a large sum of money and later donated it to the state of Israel.

The synagogue built in 1878, was destroyed by the Nazis in 1943.

In the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, there is a replica of Shimon Peres’ office, in the display case along with the Nobel Peace Prize medal and soccer ball stands a silver hanukiah.

Being honored to light the Chanuka candles on the second night was a special moment for a Ukrainian mother and her son who found refuge in Israel.

Chabad was at the i24News studio on the fourth night to light the flames with Nitzan Chen, the head of the Government Press Office.

Chabad had more donuts and hanukiot to give away to those of us on the tour who wanted.

Besides the hanukiot and lights, sufganiyot have been seen in abundance – almost everywhere.

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In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the dessert display was hard to resist.

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It was a full and busy week, with highlights I plan to share in the future.

However, finally, I made it home for candle lighting before Shabbat.

The lights shine out to the Jerusalem streets to share the miracle of Chanuka.

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Again this year in Jerusalem, my mother lit the large silver menorah that my father bought many years ago. Yesterday, their neighbor in Virginia mentioned to me how he remembers the light from their menorah lit in the window when they lived across the street – almost 20 years ago.

Happy Hanukkah! חנוכה שמח

May the Hanukkah lights shine brightly.

Near and far, no matter where you are, Chanukah Sameach, Chag Urim Sameach from Jerusalem, Israel. May you see the lights, and have a great year in good health.