The Great Hanukkah Clanging
Hanukkah was really only about one thing when I was growing up. It wasn’t the presents—they were generally small and unexciting…
Gelt-y Pleasures for All Ages
In the story of Hanukkah—the cruel reign of Antiochus, the unlikely victory of Mattathias and his sons, the one cruse of sacred oil left in the plundered Temple that burned for eight days—there is no mention of money.
Embracing Rosh Hodesh
By Scott Fox
I love Hanukkah: the presents, wintertime, dreidels, candle lighting. I love all of it. I was born on the fourth day of Hanukkah...
The Dybbuk of Christmas Past
By Matthew Kassel
Christmas doesn’t mean much to me anymore, though for the first ten years of my life, it was my favorite holiday. Pretty standard,...
O Come, All Ye Chosen
Mid-November means that it's officially pumpkin spice latte and peppermint mocha season at Starbucks. (What, you don't measure time by the seasonal offerings of national...
My First Christmas, Again
by Steven Philp
This past Saturday my family sat around the Christmas tree to unwrap presents. We have a particular system when it comes to opening...
Maccabeats Suffer “Wardrobe Malfunction”
By Doni Kandel
The Yeshiva University Maccabeats, the university’s a capella group that has taken the United States by storm, received one of their first ugly...
An Ancient Synagogue in Damascus
By Samantha Sisskind
If you go to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City in Damascus, Syria, you’ll find hardly any obvious traces of Jewish life. ...
Recipe: Sumac or Za’atar Latkes
Both sumac and za’atar (hyssop) were biblical spices, the former used to impart a lemony flavor to food, and the latter to season almost anything....
Hanukkah Throwback: Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins
Maybe the goblins of Hanukkah don’t just exist in the pages of a picture book; perhaps today’s goblins are the trappings of adulthood that make us forget the special glow that the Hanukkah of our youths possessed.
Sufganiyot Muffins from Modern Domestic
by Jenna Huntsberger
Hanukkah started Wednesday, which means it’s time to dust off your favorite Hannukah recipes. Because Hannukah celebrates the miracle of the oil, the holiday...
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...