chanukah celebration – Page 5 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Hanukkah Favorites – Old and New

December 10, 2015rjstreets

Hanukkah or Chanuka,

however you spell it

is a favorite time in Jerusalem, Israel.

Hanukiot, special holiday menorahs,

tower above many public locations,

like the hanukia burning

near Jaffa Gate on the fourth night,

and this large one at the Kotel, the Western Wall.

What a find!

On the first night of Hanukkah I saw this new one,

sponsored by the Jerusalem Development Authority,

along with the Municipality and iTravel.

Look for it off of Yoel Salomon Street.

Also new this year

is the light and sound show,

on the Wall of Old City near Jaffa Gate,

which is well done,

with holiday songs and projections!

And of course,

millions of special smaller hanukiot can be found inside.

During the Hanukkah festival

the Jerusalem streets are usually full of visitors and tourists.

Whether it is the winter cold or the security situation,

unfortunately the Jerusalem streets are much too quiet.

Remember those umbrellas over Yoel Salomon Street last summer?

This is the new colorful display in its place for Hanukkah.

Hanukkah is the holiday of the Hashmonaim,

the Maccabees of old.

Their story is of the re-dedication of the Jewish Temple,

and streets are named in their honor, not only in Jerusalem,

but also in Modi’in, the ancestral home of the Maccabees.

This sign explaining the main street named HaHashmonaim,

tells the story remembered from so long ago.

A cross street is “Blood of the Maccabees”

remembering the fight against Greek Hellenism.

Modern Modi’in youth posted a sign,

“Happy Holiday of the Maccabees.”

We had our family Hanukkah party here in Jerusalem on the second night.

I managed to get one photo

of the last sufgania before it too disappeared.

Lots of food and fun and presents for most families,

with four more nights and lots more happening.

However, the weather has turned cold,

and for one woman who has been camped

outside the Prime Minister’s residence in a tent for weeks,

this new sleeping bag was a welcome gift.

Now to end with a new photo of an old favorite for many,

the Jerusalem buses join in wishing all

Hanukkah sameach.

14 Favorite Hanukkah Lights

December 22, 2014rjstreets

Hanukkah in Jerusalem, Israel, can be exhausting!

Candle lighting ceremonies seem to be everywhere,

with people arriving from all over the world.

On the first night of Hanukkah,

at the Kotel, Western Wall, at its large chanukiah,

after a lighting ceremony with dignitaries,

a man was covered in a white talit for the filming of a video.

Chanukiot in Jerusalem restaurants are always a favorite.

First night, first light in the Old City, this was most unusual,

while simple can be beautiful.

This large electric-light covered chanukiah was near Jaffa Gate,

and this fire-lit one in Mamilla Mall

that attracted a crowd below.

The display of chanukiot in the Waldorf-Astoria lobby was new this year.

Candles were burning in the security booth outside the US consulate,

though I received permission to take this photo,

afterwards I was stopped by an over-anxious guard.

Thankfully, he did not try to delete my photos.

A Chabad Chanukiah can be found on many corners,

but the one near Paris Fountain is a favorite.

The holiday party for the international press

given by the Prime Minister was held at the Israel Museum this year.

PM Benjamin Netanyahu lit this 19th century brass chanukiah

which had been used in a synagogue in Central Europe.

Not as large as this one,

but also part of the Israel Museum’s extensive collection of chanukiot,

some centuries old and from around the world.

Though not a menorah

the lights in their eyes are certainly bright.

This photo of Natan and Avital Sharansky

with Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Shamir

as they leave Ben Gurion airport after arriving in Israel

finally free from Soviet prison,

is one of many in a new Israel Museum photography exhibit.

And from our source of the sukkah on a camel,

a menorah of ice.

It was coming along, but sorry, it was a long day and busy week.

I did not stay to see what happened when it was lit.

Xanuka

no matter how you spell it,

a great miracle happened here,

eight days to celebrate,

as those suffganiot keep coming..in so many colors and tastes.

Happy Hannukah!

Best of Hanukkah in Jerusalem

December 4, 2013rjstreets

Hanukkah in Jerusalem, Israel, is celebrated in a big way,

actually, Hanukkah is celebrated in a huge way.

This giant chanukiah, Hanukkah menorah, covered in small electric lights,

is put up each year outside Jaffa Gate.

Each year there are new kinds of sufaganiot,

and lots of them, as huge quantities are consumed.

Electric street lights light up the sky at night at this entrance to Begin Highway,

while others line city streets.

The Israel Museum is always a popular destination, especially this Hanukkah display.

Of course,

colorful candles can be found burning inside homes,

and in stores

and hotel lobbies.

Chanukiot can be found inside office buildings,

and outside the front doors of homes.

Candle lighting is often accompanied by live music and dancing,

as here with the new Chabad chanukiah at First Station.

Lights from the chanukiah on the street corner are reflected in this photo

of an Egged bus with a Hanukkah sameach sign.

Huge crowds and tour groups filled the streets of the Old City,

as people came from all over to see the candles burning in windows,

and scenes such as this man sitting and watching the flames.

To see and to learn and to remember,

that a great miracle happened here.