A Taste of Chanukah

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 Chanukah 5771

For the holiday of lights

there were many,

many lights.

It did rain-finally-but not much; there was  plenty of thick fog the morning after.

There were celebrations

and decorations.

The Old City was busy day and night.

There were dreydels to spin

and Chaunkah gelt, chocolate coins to win.

The crowds and signs of the holiday were everywhere, even the buses said “Happy Chanukah”.

Tastes of Chanukah have come a long way, with exotic new varieties of suffganiot

and chocolates.

As the Chanukah season comes to an end, thousands of visitors are going home.

After eight days celebrating the holiday of oil, many people are not sad, but very happy…

as the strawberry season has begun.

Happy Chanukah! 

Just Chanukiot

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In Jerusalem, the variety of chanukiot, Chaunkah menorahs,

seems without end.

In Mamilla Mall, a traditional style

is on display near the unusual

 and the hard to describe.

 There are chanukiot on top of tall buildings.

One ‘candle’ is added each night to the chanukiah on the Knesset building.

This store display of silver ones was dazzling, 

but the first night of Chanukah these simple wine bottles

in a bar window were also beautiful, 

as was the chanukiah on a fast food restaurant counter in the Old City.

The chanukiah in the Mahane Yehudah market, the shuk,

had lanterns for lights. 

Someone might assume there is religious significance to plastic chairs,

as there are so many

chanukiot placed on them.

Every night the Old City has been full of walking tours,

with people wandering  the streets looking for lights

in normally shuttered windows.

The chanukiah near the Kotel, the Western Wall, is very impressive,

as is the one which reads “Gilad Shalit lives” and

this chanukiah which remembers all the MIA’s.

And Chanukiot line some of the main streets.

 CHANUKAH SAMEACH

Happy Chanukah

Fire and Flames

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The first candle of Chanukah was lit on Wednesday night, December 1.

 In Kikar Zion in the center of Jerusalem, a fire truck assisted with the ceremony.

As we have mentioned repeatedly, a fire truck is a rare sight on the Jerusalem streets.

We were so excited  to get a close-up of a real hook and ladder, forgot to take a picture of the crowd.

Huge fires raged in the Carmel beginning on Thursday, the first day of Chanukah until Sunday.

What a shame it took a tragedy of such magnitude to highlight the seriousness of the situation.

The funerals and sadness continue, and so do the small fires and flames…

In Mamilla Mall, people arrived early for the candle lighting ceremony on the fifth night of Chanukah.

The chanukiah was lit as most of the crowd stood quietly or sang along.

Nearby, in the Rova, the Jewish Quarter, a choir led the singing inside the Churva,

where the first candle lighting in the new synagogue was led by Education Minister Gideon Saar.

 Only invited guests were allowed inside the Churva, but the ceremony was screened on the outside wall.

Out on the streets of the Rova, people were also participating in other candle lighting ceremonies.

 

The flames of the chanukiah near the Kotel, the Western Wall could be seen on the wall to the left

and in a large chanukiah near the wall.

On the plaza near Jaffa Gate, the large chanukiah

was lit by Mayor Nir Barkat.

After several tries to light the shamash in the center,

 

 it was left unlit-the fire wouldn’t cooperate.

Throughout Jerusalem, flames could be found inside

 

and outside.

On Chanukah, the smallest flames 

can burn the brightest.

Happy Chanukah!