HANUKKAH -- Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Grade
Materials: Menorah (you can bring more than one), candles, paper plates, napkins, plastic forks, serving plates and utensils, latkes (2 or 3 for each listener), apple sauce, small plastic dreidels, jelly donuts (optional). WHEN MAKING A COUNT, DON'T FORGET THE TEACHERS AND TEACHERS' AIDES.
Food Preparation: If you want to make latkes from scratch, G-d bless you. I purchase a case of frozen Milo brand kosher "cocktail" potato pancakes from a wholesale food distributor.
The small "cocktail" size ("bite" size) of Milo's potato pancakes are just right for my purpose. They come pre-blanched (that is, pre-fried). follow the instructions on the box for heating in the oven directly from the freezer. Fill two or three cookie sheets with latkes, place in the oven for about 10 minutes and that will be enough for your presentation. Wrap in aluminum foil and take to school. They can be served as is or warmed in the classroom's microwave by a teacher's aide.
Apple sauce is served right out of the jars, possibly by a teacher or a teacher's aide.
Teachers and their aides are happy to pass out plates, napkins, utensils and food if asked nicely.
A case of latkes is far more than you need for the presentation, so you can eat them at home, or have a party. Several families who want to take latkes to school classrooms could buy a case together.
Buy the small plastic dreidels in bulk. Get bags of at least 100. In that quantity, they will cost about 15 cents each. You will use the rest another year. (You could ask your synagogue to purchase these educational supplies in bulk and resell to interested parents at cost.)
Souvganyot (jelly donuts) are an Israeli Hanukkah food. Like latkes, they are fried in oil and represent the miracle of the oil lasting 8 days. You can serve jelly donuts instead of (or in addition to) latkes. Buy the jelly donuts fresh from a place that uses vegetable oil to fry them, like Dunkin' Donuts. You should tell the kids about souvganyot, even if you do not serve them.
START OF PRESENTATION
Hello, I am Sam's dad. (Please insert your child's name and your relationship to the child, such as "John's mom" or "Rifka's grandpa.")
I'm here today to talk with you about a Jewish holiday that we will celebrate next Monday. (Please insert the actual weekday on which the holiday occurred or will occur, such as "last Thursday" or "two weeks from now.")
At this time every year, Jewish people celebrate a holiday named Hanukkah. It celebrates freedom, especially freedom of religion. Freedom of religion is being free to read our own Bible, say the prayers we choose and go to the church or synagogue we want.
In our country, religious freedom is guaranteed by the Constitution. In many countries people do not have religious freedom. Religious freedom is one reason why the Pilgrims, Quakers and many other people came to America.
Hanukkah is sometimes called the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah lasts eight days.
MENORAH and LIGHTING CANDLES
Every night of Hanukkah we light candles on a special candle holder. Many of you know that the Hebrew word for a branched candle holder like this is "menorah." (The Hebrew word for the special menorah used for Hanukkah is "Hannukiyah.") This is our Hanukkah Menorah. This is a Hanukkah Menorah that Sam (your child?) made in his Sunday school. (You can show other kinds or styles of menorahs.)
Can we all say "menorah" together?
MENORAH.
Very good.
This Menorah has one helper candle, called a "shamash" and eight other candles.
On the first night we light the helper candle, and use the helper to light one other candle. (Put shamash and one other candle in the menorahs.)
On the second night we light the helper candle, and use the helper candle to light two other candles. (Put shamash and two other candles in the menorahs.)
Each night we light one more candle.
(Put shamash and three other candles in the menorahs.)
How many candles do we light on the third night? (Let a child answer: 'Three and the helper.")
Very good. Three candles and the helper.
(Put shamash and eight other candles in the menorahs.)
How many candles do we light on the last night of Hanukkah? the eighth night? (Let a child answer: "Eight and the helper.")
You are right, eight candles and the helper.
THE STORY OF HANUKKAH
This is the story of why we light candles for 8 days.
The story of Hanukkah takes place in the country of Israel, where Jesus was born. The story takes place a long time ago, long before Jesus was born.
At that time, the Jewish people lived in Israel, just as they do now.
Also at that time, a bad king ruled Israel. His name was Antiochus. He had a big army with lots of soldiers.
King Antiochus did not like the Jewish people.
He wrecked their synagogues and their great Temple. He wrecked
what you might call the Jewish churches.
He would not let them say Jewish prayers or read the Bible.
A small group of the Jews fought King Antiochus' big army.
The Jewish fighters were called the Maccabees and they won.
Can we all say "Maccabees" together?
MACCABEES.
Very good.
It was a great miracle for the Maccabees' small group of fighters to defeat the king's large and powerful army.
When the Maccabees won the war, the first thing they did was clean up their great Temple, what you might call the biggest Jewish church. And they lit the special holy lamp.
In those days there was no electricity and there were no light bulbs. Lamps used oil, sort of like a kerosene lantern you might use when you go camping, or like Aladdin's lamp.
(Menorahs that use oil and wicks, instead of candles, are available from many Jewish catalogue houses. If you have an oil type menorah, you can show it here.)
There was only a little bit of oil, only enough oil to last one day. But another miracle occurred. The light from the lamp shown for eight days. The little bit of oil lasted eight days and the Maccabees had time to make more oil.
This is why Hanukkah lasts eight days. And why it is called the Festival of Lights, because of the miracle of the oil and light and because of all the candles we light.
GIFTS
In many Jewish families, every night, after the Hanukkah candles are lit, presents are exchanged. This is Sam's (insert your child's name) favorite part of the holiday.
DREIDELS
After exchanging gifts, we sometimes play with a special spinning top. This spinning top is called a "dreidel." It is a special Hanukkah toy. There are counting games that can be played with it. (Pass out plastic dreidels to children. Pass out photocopies of the playing instructions from the Appendix.) Please don't spin the dreidels just yet.
Can we we say "dreidel" together?
DREIDEL.
Very good.
The letters on the dreidel are Hebrew letters that stand for Hebrew words that mean, "a great miracle happened there."
Dreidels can be made of wood or plastic or clay. Sam's (your child) favorite Hanukkah song is about a dreidel. (When Sam (your child?) was little, and we would sing the words "dreidel, dreidel, dreidel" we used to pick Sam (your child?) up and whirl him around. Today, when I sing the words, "dreidel, dreidel, dreidel" you can sing along.)
I have a little dreidel
I made it out of clay
and when it's dry and ready
then dreidel I shall play.
Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
I made it out of clay
and when it's dry and ready
then dreidel I shall play.
LATKES: POTATO PANCAKES (Optional)
On many holidays, there are special foods we might eat, like at Thankisgiving, many people eat turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.
Does anyone here like pancakes? or hash brown potatoes?
One special food at Hanukkah is potato pancakes (pancakes made
from potatoes), fried in oil.
They are called "latkes."
Can we all say "latkes" together?
LATKES
Very good.
Why would this be special for Hanukkah? (Let children guess.)
Right, it is fried in oil because of the miracle of the oil in the lamps.
Latkes taste like pancakes and hash browns.
They are sometimes served with sour cream or apple sauce.
(Serve latkes and apple sauce.)
SOUVGANYOT: JELLY DONUTS (Optional)
Sometimes a holiday food is special because of what it is. for example, turkey is a special food for Thanksgiving because the Pilgrims ate turkeys at the first Thanksgiving. Besides, Thanksgiving is an American holiday and turkeys are birds native to America. The Pilgrims did not have turkeys before they came to America.
Sometimes a holiday food is special because of what it looks like: think of Christmas cookies shaped like Christmas trees.
Sometimes a holiday food is special because of how it is made, like latkes being fried in oil.
Another example is Fasnachts. Fasnachts are donut-like pastries deep fired in fat. They are served on the Christian holiday of Fasnacht Day, a Pennsyvlania German celebration on the day before Lent begins. In many Christian cultures, the day before Lent is a day of feasting. In France it is called Mardi Gras, which means fat Tuesday.
In Israel, they have another special Hanukkah food -- jelly donuts called souvganyot. Why do you think souvganyot are special for Hanukkah? (Let a child answer.)
Right souvganyot are special for Hanukkah because they are fried in oil.
(Optional -- Pass out jelly donuts.)
SUMMARY
Hanukkah tells the story of the Maccabees' reclaiming the city and temple of Jerusalem over 2100 years ago. Holiday celebrations include lighting candles, exchanging gifts, eating potato pancakes and playing games with a spinning top.
You have been a good audience.
Do you have any questions? (Take questions.) Thank you for listening so well.