Nov. 28- Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. — WOODSTOCK — Chanukah is the Jewish holiday that brings light to the darkest time of the year, when Jews light one more candle each evening on an eight-branch menorah until, on the eighth night, all the candles burn brightly.
This year, Chanukah arrives early on the lunar Jewish calendar, beginning on the evening of Nov. 28, the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Why eight nights? It’s an ancient reminder, so the story goes, that a one-day supply of oil in the rededicated Second Temple lasted, miraculously, for eight days.
Members of the Woodstock Area Jewish Community/Shir Shalom welcome everyone with an interest in Chanukah to join the congregation’s eight-night celebration on Zoom. Each program will be short and sweet with its own theme. There will be a conversation about climate change and energy one night, an evening of yoga and meditation, and a demonstration on Dec. 2 of the fine art of making latkes. Latkes are the potato pancakes that are fried in a bit of oil, a Chanukah tradition.
On Dec. 3, everyone is invited to watch on Zoom or join the fun at an in-person celebration (masks required) at the synagogue in Woodstock. There will be singing, dancing, dreidel games, lots of latkes (with your choice of applesauce or sour cream), and a wondrous moment when all the menorahs that people bring will be aglow inside the synagogue, each with six candles lighting the darkness for the partygoers outside.
For more information about how to join the Chanukah celebration, go to Shir Shalom VT on Facebook, or shirshalomvt.org.
