Celebrating Hanukkah
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10 Dec 2023 |
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 San Francisco
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Club members, friends, and family are all invited to celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. Our celebration will be hosted by Betty Newman, a friend of the Club, at her home in St. Francis Woods.
Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem in the Second Century BCE, after it was retaken from invaders by a group of Jewish warriors called the Maccabees. When the Maccabees relit the lamp that burned constantly in the Temple, they only found enough oil to burn for one day. Miraculously, that small supply of oil burned for the entire eight days it took to acquire and bless more oil. Thus, Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days.
The celebration of Hanukkah is centered around the lighting of a candlestick called the menorah. Betty will serve latkes (potato pancakes) with sour cream and applesauce, and jelly donuts. It is a Hannukah tradition to cook foods in oil to commemorate the miracle of the oil in the Temple.
While Hanukkah is a minor holiday in religious terms, it has attained popularity and cultural significance – mostly among secular Jews in North America – as a response to the focus on Christmas.
The most traditional Hanukkah gift for children is “Hanukkah gelt” – coin-shaped chocolates wrapped in gold-tinted foil.
The celebration begins at 4 PM. A brief ceremonial lighting of Hanukkah candles begins at dusk, about 4:50 PM.
Tickets are $10, but there is no charge for children aged 12 and younger. Betty’s address will be provided to everyone who registers.
Registration closes at 5 PM on Friday, December 8.