Chanukah – Vegas Style

There is no better place to celebrate Chanukah—the Festival of Lights—than in Las Vegas—the City of Lights. Many of our local Jewish organizations and most of our local synagogues will sponsor Chanukah carnivals and/or parties. Two of the most popular local celebrations of Chanukah are the public Chanukah Menorah-Lighting Ceremonies at the Freemont Street Experience and at The District in Green Valley.

The Grand Menorah-Lighting Ceremony at the Freemont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas will be held on Monday, December 26 at 4:30 p.m. at the corner of Freemont and Casino Center Drive. Rabbi Shea Harlig of Chabad of Southern Nevada will officiate. The Grand Menorah-Lighting Ceremony at The District in Green Valley will be held on Tuesday, December 27 at 4:00 p.m. Rabbi Mendy Harlig of Chabad of Green Valley will officiate. Both fun-filled events will have live music, singing and dancing. Traditional Chanukah goodies—latkes and jelly donuts—will be served to the public.

For more information about other Chanukah events around the Las Vegas valley, contact a local synagogue: Adat Ami, 492-9600; Adat Ari El, 221-1230; Beth El Congregation, 389-8090; Chabad of Green Valley, 617-0770; Chabad of Southern Nevada, 259-0770; Chabad of Summerlin, 243-3623; Congregation Ner Tamid, 733-6292; Congregation Shaarei Tefilla, 384-3565; Kabbalah Centre, 243-0559; Midbar Kodesh, 454-4848; Shalom Torah Center, 304-1269; Temple Beth Am, 254-5110; Temple Beth Sholom, 804-1333; Valley Outreach, 436-4900; and Young Israel Aish Las Vegas, 360-8909.

This year Chanukah begins with the lighting of the first Chanukah candle on Sunday evening, December 25. The holiday lasts for eight days with an additional candle being lit each evening. The all eight candles are lit on the eighth eve of Chanukah—Sunday evening, January 1.

Chanukah is not a very important religious holiday. The holiday's religious significance is far less than that of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, and Shavu'ot. It is roughly equivalent to Purim in significance. The only religious observance related to the holiday is the lighting of candles. The candles are arranged in a candelabrum called a menorah (or sometimes called a chanukiah) that holds nine candles: one for each night, plus a shammus (servant) at a different height. On the first night, one candle is placed at the far right. The shammus candle is lit and three blessings are recited. After reciting the blessings, the first candle is then lit using the shammus candle, and the shammus candle is placed in its holder. The candles are allowed to burn out on their own after a minimum of one-half hour. Each night, another candle is added from right to left. On the eighth night, all nine candles (the 8 Chanukah candles and the shammus) are lit. On nights after the first, only the first two blessings are recited.

Recipe for Latkes

Makes approximately 12 palm-sized latkes 4 medium potatoes 1 medium onion 2 eggs 3/4 cup matzah meal salt and black pepper to taste vegetable oil Shred the potatoes and onion into a large bowl. Press out all excess liquid. (If using a food processor, use the chopping blade for 2 or 3 seconds after pressing out liquid to avoid stringy fly-aways). Add eggs and mix well. Add matzah meal gradually while mixing until the batter is doughy, not too dry (you may not need the whole amount, depending on how well you drained the veggies). Add a few dashes of salt and black pepper. Don't worry if the batter turns a little orange; that will go away when it fries. Heat about one-half inch of oil to medium-high heat. Form the batter into thin patties about the size of your palm. Fry batter in oil. Be patient: this takes time, and too much flipping will burn the outside without cooking the inside. Flip when the bottom is golden brown. Place finished latkes on paper towels to drain. Eat hot with sour cream or applesauce. They reheat okay in a microwave, but not in an oven unless you cook them just right. If you'd like to try something a little different, add some bell peppers, parsley, carrots, celery, or other vegetables to the batter to make veggie latkes! You may need to add a third egg and some more matzah meal for this. For a zesty twist, add some diced jalepeño peppers to the batter.

For a Chanukah chuckle click HERE