03 Dec
Culture, Latest, Religion

Hanukkah Throwback: Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins

By Sala Levin When you're a child, Hanukkah is truly the most wonderful time of the year.  There's something magical about watching the multi-colored candles add up night after night, about your family stumbling their way through songs whose words no one can entirely remember, even about the gold-wrapped gelt that you gobbled down despite the fact that they tasted vaguely of plastic.  Sometimes it snows, and those are the best years: when you come into the kitchen, your boots trailing snow, to hear latkes sizzling in hot oil and to see a present, neatly wrapped in blue and white paper, sitting at your spot on the table. But then the teenage years come, and then the dreaded adulthood, and Hanukkah is pedestrian, dull--almost, it seems, irrelevant.  No one bothers to grate potatoes for latkes anymore--tradition traded...

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02 Dec
Culture, History, Latest, Religion

The Secret History of Hanukkah

By Gabriel Weinstein Students in Hebrew schools and Jewish day schools learn that Hanukkah is the celebration of the Maccabees’ improbable military triumph and the miraculous burning of the Beit Hamikdash’s (Holy Temple's) Menorah for eight days, a holiday for crooning festive tunes and wagering intense games of dreidel. But Hanukkah’s origins in the Nayrot festival are usually never mentioned during classroom discussions or a meal over latkes. Nayrot (light) was an ancient winter holiday celebrating the increased daylight promised by the winter solstice, and was observed in a way similar to Hanukkah. Nayrot had similar qualities and occurred around the same time as the Greek-Syrian holiday celebrating sun god Kronos-Helios’s birthday, which was observed by Jews and non-Jews in Israel and Greek occupied territories. Households kindled eight flames on a fireboard in their house each night...

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29 Nov
Arts & Culture, Culture, Latest, Moment Magazine

Recipe: Sweet Potato Latkes with Spiced Maple Syrup

With Hanukkah approaching fast, people everywhere are getting excited to dine on treats such as latkes and Sufganiyot (jelly-filled doughnuts).  But after eight days, those delicious dishes can get tiresome.  This year, why not try out a little variation? According to Phyllis Glazer, modern takes on traditional foods are becoming all the rage in Israel (check out her article on the history of latkes in the current issue of Moment here!).  Here is one of our favorites: Sweet Potato Latkes with Spiced Maple Syrup Makes 10-12  (4-6 servings) For the Latkes: 1 pound sweet potatoes 2 eggs ½  teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼  cup matzah meal Pinch salt Pinch white pepper 2-4 tablespoons light olive oil for frying For the sauce: 1 cup real maple syrup ½  teaspoon grated fresh ginger ¼  teaspoon ground nutmeg Pinch of ground cloves ...

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20 Nov
Arts & Culture, Latest

An Interest in Hanukkah? Jon Stewart Sings!

By Mandy Katz "Can I Interest You in Hanukkah?" may be the first ever TV ditty sung a due by Jon Stewart and fellow faux-newsie Stephen Colbert. It's part of Colbert's upcoming TV special, A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All, airing Sunday on Comedy Central. Audio of the duet aired yesterday on National Public Radio's Fresh Air — you can hear it on the show's website (click "Listen Now" and skip to minute 7:07). Sample lyric: "Yes, indeed, 8 days of presents, which means one nice one, then a week of dreck." Colbert, the show's host and self-described "broadcasting legend," also sings his own original carols. After all, the crusty newsman explains, perched on a piano bench in a cozy cardigan sweater, every time we hear one of those other, familiar, Yuletide standards, "someone else...

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