52 | DECEMBER 15 • 2022
I
don’t have plans to return to Israel, but the next
time I go, it will be during Chanukah.
For Jews around the world, the eight-day
Festival of Lights begins on the Hebrew calendar
of 25 Kislev. For us this year, that is the evening of
Dec. 18, running through Dec. 26. Chanukah is
not technically a national holiday in Israel, but the
schools and businesses close so the community can
celebrate.
Israel’s party starts with a popular 20-mile
runner’s relay in Modi’in, that ends at the Western
Wall in Jerusalem. The last torchbearer sprints the
flame up to the Chief Rabbi, who uses it to light
the first candle of a giant menorah. Cheers erupt as
the flame officially kicks off the holiday.
At sunset, families light their menorahs out-
doors, creating a warm glow that brightens the
streets in the neighborhood after dark. There are
plays, games, sing-alongs and traditional holiday
foods. Chanukah in Israel is a true celebration of
hope and freedom, and an obviously festive time
to visit.
This merrymaking alone should be enough for
me to book my ticket with El Al, but as a chef,
my real interest for switching continents during
Chanukah revolves around food. We play games,
sing songs, have parties and light menorahs here
too, so that’s not it. The primary reason for a visit
is the difference between what we use to commem-
orate the oil’s miracle of burning for eight days.
Traditionally, Americans fry latkes, while Israelis
indulge in the sweetness of sufganiyot, a fried hole-
less donut, with custard or jam inside.
MICHELLE KOBERNICK
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Rolling
Out the
Dough…
Try the official Chanukah
food of Israel: sufganiyot.
FOOD