The BiG Story

Begin by melting several
different colors of candles.
The best way to do this is to

must call out at least
10 words that have

to do with
Chanukah. The next
person must call out
at least 10 words that

place a bunch of blue or
red, for example, candles in
a throwaway tin immersed in

boiling water. It can take
awhile for the wax to melt.
When at last it's done, dip bot-
toms of white candles in the
melted wax to create a beautiful
work of art. The more you dip
the candle, the darker the color.
When you're done, place on wax

have to do with
Pesach, and the next
with Rosh Hashanah.
Or, you could call out
Jewish books, family
members, Jewish foods
— whatever you like!

In Search Of
The Perfect Latke

For some, this is a very sensitive
issue. Latkes must have onions, or
they simply are not latkes. For oth-
ers, the mere thought of onion-laden
latkes when everyone knows latkes
are meant to be topped with
sugar), is nothing less than bone

chilling. Let's get cook-

ing.
First, look through
cookbooks from the
past and present, and
ask friends and rela-
tives to provide favorite
recipes, as well. And
yes. you must include
Aunt Ruthie's zucchini-
and-chocolate latkes.
Next, buy all the ingre-

dients needed to make
every kind of latke. (Don't
worry, this won't be too extensive!
Even the most creative cooks can't
go too far beyond potatoes and
flour.) Then invite friends over, and
try them all out. Or, ask each friend
to prepare his or her favorite latke
and bring it over for a taste testing
contest. The winner gets to do the

dishes! Well, maybe ...

All Play, No Work

When the candles are burning
brightly, you are not permitted to
work. Here's a silly word game you
can play as you sit by the menorah.
There are many variations, but usu-

ally it's called "Grandmother's

Trunk."

12/11
1998

76 Detroit Jewish News

One person says, "I went to
attic and looked in grandmother's
trunk and I saw ..." and here he
says anything beginning with the
letter A (perhaps "anteater.") The
next person says, "I went to the
attic and looked in grandmother's
trunk and I saw an anteater and
(anything beginning with
the letter Br And so on
and so on, with each per-
son repeating all the finds
before him and adding

paper to dry. You can add Several
colors to each candle, providing
the most-recently dipped color has
completely dried. When you're
done, and before the last wax
hardens completely, you can use a
toothpick to carve a design into
your new candle for the meno-

rah.

another.
In this case, you can
have fun by saying, "I
was polishing the meno-
rah for Chanukah when
suddenly I saw ..." and use
A here for anything from Jewish

history or culture or tradition. For
example, "I was polishing the
menorah for Chanukah when sud-
denly I saw an apple (for Rosh
Hashanah), and a brachah (bless-

ing), and a candle (for Shabbat)..."

Colorful Candles
NOTE: This is a project for older
children only (or adults, if they are
mature enough and don't whine a
lot).

You will need:
• one box of white Chanukah

candles
• several boxes of different-col-

ored Chanukah candles
• deep throwaway tins

• wax paper
• toothpicks (optional;
• a great deal of patience

A Few, Quick Ideas

• Fold napkins in half, then cut in
the shape of a dreidel.
• Instead of exchanging gifts
(which, after all, has nothing to do
with the holiday), learn about, then
donate to a different charity each

evening.
• See who can create the silliest
pretend latke using items around the
house. Anything is up for grabs: yel-
low pillows piled atop one another,
string, torn-up bits of construction
paper or grocery bags, banana

peels.
• Make paper dolls of Judah and

the Maccabees and hide around
the house. Whoever finds one gets

a prize.
• Serve latkes on a clear plas-
tic, or glass, plate atop
another plate (any kind
will do here). Under-
neath the clear plate
place hand-drawn pic-
tures of holiday sym-
bols. Whenever
someone is done eat-
ing, he'll see beautiful

art.

• Take a vote on the
best English spelling for
"Chanukah."
• Have each person in

the family come up
with six questions abou

Modern-Day Miracles

The story of Chanukah tells of a mir-
acle. Can you think of miracles that

you have experienced or wit-
nessed? It's a great topic for discus-
sion over latkes.
Do you see the birth of a child as

a miracle? How about the chang-
ing seasons? What of human emo-

tions, like love, and intellect and
reason? What other miracles do
you know from Jewish history? From

secular history?
Do you think miracles, such as the
long-lasting oil and the parting of
the Red Sea, happen as often
today as in the past? If not, why? If
so, why do you think people don't

recognize or appreciate them?

the holiday. These can focus on
history, religious practice, family
traditions, or just fun ("What part
of Chanukah do you like best?").
Next, have each person select a
different color of paper for her
questions. Each question should
be written on a separate strip,
folded, then placed inside a hat
to serve as the table centerpiece.
While you're eating, each person
pulls one strip out and answers it.
(Of course, if you wrote your
questions on blue paper, you
know not to take out a blue strip!
When everyone has had a turn,
go around again and again until
all the questions have been

answered.

