Brooklyn Is All Aglow With the Festival of Lights

Brooklyn, NY — When Brooklynites of the Jewish faith light the first candle on the Menorah on December 15th at sunset, they will be participating in a tradition that goes back over 2,000 years.

Also known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah commemorates the miracle whereby — after the Jews recaptured the temple in Jerusalem from the forces of the despotic Antiochus IV –enough oil to light the temple’s Menorah for but a single night lasted for eight.

For this reason, this joyous holiday is a time to enjoy traditional treats prepared in oil – latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganyot (jelly doughnuts), for example. It’s also a time for fun – the dreidel game is one example, as is the more recent tradition of giving gifts or money (gelt, sometimes in the form of chocolate coins) to the children in the family, one for each night of the holiday.

Indeed, in Brooklyn, the fun spreads around the borough.

At the Jewish Children’s Museum an exhibit entitled Maccabees highlights the history behind the holiday. Open from November 26th through January 7th, the exhibit provides interactive opportunities for youngsters to travel back in history (using what’s described by the museum as “a nutty professor’s time machine”) to tour ancient Judea in the era of Antiochus IV.

Children can help light a giant Menorah, dress up as Maccabees and participate in the events of the time. The exhibit, says museum Director Gershon Eichorn, provides, “An atmosphere where participants are not on the outside looking in. They are an actual part of the story. Each child will really feel the Syrian-Greek challenge to the Jews, and take personal pride in the Maccabees’ miraculous victory.”

The museum is located at 792 Eastern Parkway. Log onto www.jcm.museum or call 718-467-0600 for tickets. The museum is open from Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. General admission is $10 per person; children under two are admitted free. Admission to The Maccabees only is $10 per person; a combination ticket admits visitors to the museum as a whole and the Maccabees for $15 per person.