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Great Days

Something old, something new:

fun ideas for every night of Chanukah.

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR

t all started more than

ILLUSTRATI ONS BY CHARLI E B

2,000 years ago with a

bum named Antiochus.

He was a Syrian king deter-

mined to make Jews stop

practicing Judaism.

Fortunately, Judah Mac-

cabee was there to save the

day. He drove those Syrians

out of Israel, then the Jews

won back the Temple.

The rest, of course, is histo-

TY.
But the nice thing about

Jewish history is that it's the

present, too. The themes of

Chanukah — of freedom and

miracles — are as relevant

and powerful to the Jewish

community of today as they

were in the time of Judah

Maccabee.
cf,
This year Chanukah be-
,..,
=
= gins Sunday, Dec. 17, with
ci)
the last candle lit on the 24th.
L.,
As you prepare for the holi-
c)
cc
day, consider making each
F-

LU

m night a real celebration. Here

Ill

1---

G18

are some ideas to get you

started.

symbols like the Star of
David. But don't make them too com-
plicated in detail as cutting sponges may not
be as easy as it sounds.
Then, all you have to do is dip the sponges
There's nothing like making the house fes-
tive for the holidays. You can find a number in paint and start stamping away.
Potatoes also may be used, but these are
of Chanukah decorations at local card and
gift shops, but it's even more fun to make more difficult to cut and must be done with
a knife (which can take a lot of time). You
your own.
Consider creating dreidel centerpieces for also may want to visit your local rubber-
your table, or to hang from your light fix- stamp store (Stampin' Grounds in Royal Oak
tures, or menorah-shaped cutouts to affix to is one to try), which often sells many Jewish
your closet. And what about a life-sized Ju- designs.
You can hang your Chanukah
dah Maccabee posted near your front door?
art
in your windows, on doors
One way of making Chanukah deco-
and, naturally, all over the
rations is with sponge painting.
kitchen refrigerator.
You will need:
several sponges
scissors
non-toxic tempera or acrylic paints
bowls
large sheets of paper
Begin by cutting shapes out of sponges.
You can make traditional holiday designs,
like a menorah, and also familiar Jewish

2.

If you're in the
mood for latkes,
but want to ex-
pand on the fa-
miliar sour-cream and
applesauce varieties, consid-
er sponsoring a family
Chanukah cook-off.
Because they are made
with oil, latkes and sufganiot
(jelly-filled doughnuts) are tra-
ditional Chanukah delicacies.
But that doesn't mean they
have to be the same year after
year. Think of all the yummy
additions, from sweet to
crunchy treats, you could
bring to these dishes.
Here's a basic potato
latke recipe to get you
started:
3 medium potatoes
3 T flour
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
Begin by washing and peel-
ing the potatoes. Grate into a
large bowl, then use cheese-
cloth or an old T-shirt to
squeeze out as much liquid as
possible. Add flour, eggs and
spices to grated potatoes.
Shape into small patties and
fry in hot oil until both sides
are golden brown. Drain on
paper towels.