Fried Donuts Give Israelis in Vietnam a Taste of Home

HO CHI MINH, Vietnam — An Israeli Chanukah celebration would not be complete without the traditional jelly-filled fried donut known in Hebrew as a sufganiya, but until recently, Israeli backpackers in Vietnam went without the oily, sugary concoction.

So it came as a pleasant surprise to visitors at Rabbi Menachem and Rachel Hartman’s Chabad-Lubavitch center in Saigon that they could have a little taste of Jerusalem in the heart of Southeast Asia this year. The Hartmans taught local chefs how to make the desert and then welcomed Jewish residents and tourists to their now location for a Chanukah party.

At the Chabad House, attendees found – in addition to the donuts – enough menorahs to go around.

Chabad House director Rabbi Menachem Hartman lights a giant menorah in Saigon.

A visiting Israeli in Saigon lights an individual Chanukah menorah at Chabad-Lubavitch of Vietnam.