Hanukkah is steeped in spiritual meaning and brought to life by the more than 80,000 Jewish Clevelanders and their families every year. The “Festival of Lights” is a celebration of the miraculous eight nights that a one-day supply of oil lit the menorah in Jersualem’s Holy Temple upon its rededication after it was retaken from the Seleucids.
Here are just a few of the ways you can celebrate this joyous holiday in The Land this season.
Light Up the Night
Menorah lightings are happening all around The Land.
The Maltz Museum hosts a kid-friendly, song-packed night on Dec. 12. Downtown Cleveland’s
Menorah Lighting Ceremony, also on Dec. 12, takes place in
Public Square — and is always a gorgeous sight to see. Plus, Akronites can stop by the Summit County Historical Society for the centennial
Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa window display.
Celebrate in Song
Join jHUB for a festive concert with Joanie Leeds at Music Box Supper Club on Dec. 10. (You’ll get some Hanukkah-themed treats as well.) Then get your toes tapping at Menorah Park, where they’re hosting a
Hanukkah Concert with the Tischler Klezmer Orchestra on Dec. 12.
Food, Friends & Storytelling
Younger Clevelanders will enjoy
Hanukkah stories at the Cleveland History Center as well as
“A Light in the Night,” a play that follows a young woman who becomes tasked with fixing the story of Hanukkah. For something a little different, head to the Maltz Museum for
“This Improvised Chanukah Show” on Dec. 13 — good for some belly laughs as the Festival of Lights winds down for the year.
The first opportunity when Hanukkah and Shabbat intersect is coming up this
Friday, Dec. 8, at The Temple-Tifereth Israel, during which families can come together, reflect, and celebrate. And for the final night of Hanukkah, gather for jHUB’s
Shabbanukkah dinner, when two holidays centered around togetherness combine again.