CHANUKAH 5786
December 14-22, 2025
EVENTS AT BHS
Sunday, December 7
Preschool Festival of Books
Everything from a bouncy castle and a Chanukah themed photo booth, to author readings, arts + crafts, a pizza lunch, and more! Do all of your Chanukah shopping at the Fork + Pencil Book Sale while supporting BHS.
10:00am - 1:30pm | Get your raffle tickets and all-day passes here
Friday, December 12
Chanukah Shabbat Evening Services
Oneg with Latkes to follow.
6:30-8:00pm
TOFN Pre-Chanukah Celebration
Join us for a special Chanukah edition of The Other Friday Night (TOFN), featuring Shabbat services where we’ll enjoy latkes, light candles, and sing together! Led by Rabbi Bailey Romano.
7:00pm | RSVP here
Monday, December 15 - Wednesday, December 17
Communal Candle Lighting
The community is welcome to join us on the second, third, and fourth night of Chanukah for a brief but meaningful opportunity to light the menorah.
5:30pm
During this week during Religious School, students will enjoy soufganiyot (donuts), Chanukah songs, and will receive Chanukah candles to take home for their menorahs!
Tuesday, December 16
Chanukah Concert with Michelle Citrin
Join BHS for a family-friendly night of music, donuts, and schmoozing! With Michelle Citrin, a Brooklyn based singer-songwriter and producer, recently named by Time.com as one of the top ten Jewish rock stars.
5:30pm - 7:00pm | RSVP and learn more here
Thursday, December 18
Tot Candle Lighting
Led by Rabbi Bailey Romano. For families with young children up to age 5 years old. Bring your favorite menorah, and we’ll supply the candles! Latkes & donuts to follow.
4:00pm - 5:00pm | RSVP here
The BHS Latke VS. Hamantaschen Debate
Cheer on six zany panelists from the congregation as they argue the relative merits of the latke and hamantaschen. Join for laughs, the chance to vote for the best Jewish-holiday food, and for the post-debate nosh – latkes and hamantaschen (and vodka) of course!
7:00pm - 9:00pm | RSVP here
Friday, December 19
Shir Shabbat and Chanukah Evening Service
With Simcha Blessings
Led by Rabbi Serge Lippe, Cantorial Intern Sarina Elenbogen-Siegel, and the BHS choir.
Oneg with latkes to follow.
6:30pm - 8:00pm
BLESSINGS
Kindling the Festival Lights — The Chanukah Blessings
Candles are added to the chanukiyah from right to left but are kindled from left to right. The newest candle is lit first.
First light the shamash (the helper candle, set higher or lower than all the rest of the candles); then use it to kindle the rest of the Chanukah lights.
On Friday evening we light and bless the Chanukah lights first and then the Shabbat candles.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik neir shel Chanukah.
We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe; You make us holy with Your mitzvot, and command us to kindle the Chanukah lights.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam she-asah nisim la’avoteinu/l’imoteinu bayamim haheim baz’man hazeh.
We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe; You showed wonders to our fathers/mothers in this season in days of old.
On the first night only we add:
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam shehecheyanu v’kiymanu v’higiyanu laz’man hazeh.
We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, for giving us life, for sustaining us and for enabling us to reach this season.
CHANUKAH SONGS
-
Ma’oz tzur y’shuati
L’kha na-eh l’shabei-ach
Tikon beyt t’filati
V’sham todah n’zabei-ach
L’eit tachin matbei-ach
Mitzar ha-m’nabei-ach
Az egmor b’shir mizmor
Chanukat ha-mizbei-achAz egmor b’shir mizmor
Chanukat ha-mizbei-ach
A less literal but more sing-able translation:
Rock of Ages, let our song, Praise Thy saving power
Thou amidst the raging foes, Wast our sheltering tower
Furious they assailed us, But Thine arm availed us
And thy word broke their sword, When our own strength failed us.
And thy word broke their sword, When our own strength failed us. -
I have a little dreydl,
I made it out of clay;
And when it’s dry and ready
Then dreydl I shall play,
O dreydl, dreydl, dreydl,
I made it out of clay;
O dreydl, dreydl, dreydl,
Now dreydl I shall play.
It has a lovely body,
With leg so short and thin;
And when it is all tired,
It drops and then I win.
O dreydl, dreydl, dreydl,
With leg so short and thin;
O dreydl, dreydl, dreydl,
It drops and then I win.
My dreydl’s always playful,
It loves to dance and spin.
A happy game of dreydl,
Come play, now let’s begin.
O dreydl, dreydl, dreydl,
It loves to dance and spin.
O dreydl, dreydl, dreydl,
Come play, now let’s begin. -
Hanukah Linda sta aki
Ocho kandelas para mi,
Chanukah Linda sta aki,
Ocho kandelas para mi.
Chorus:
Una kandelika
Dos kandelikas
Tres kandelikas
Kuatro kandelikas
Sintyu kandelikas
Seysh kandelikas
Siete kandelikas
Ocho kandelas para mi.
Muchas fiestas vo fazer, con alegrias i plazer.
Muchas fiestas vo fazer, con alegrias i plazer.
Chorus: Una…
Los pastelikas vo kumer, con almendrikas i la miel.
Los pastelikas vo kumer, con almendrikas i la miel.
Chorus: Una…
Translation:
Beautiful Chanukah is here, eight candles for me.
One candle, two candles, three candles,
four candles, five candles, six candles,
seven candles, eight candles for me.
Many parties will be held, with joy and with pleasure.
One candle…
I will cook pastelikas (a Sephardic delicacy) with almonds and honey.
One candle… it goes here -
In the hills of Judea
In the dark of the night
There gathered the
Maccabees All ready to fight.
Along came the Syrians
So haughty and proud,
And the battle was started
They clashed long and loud.
When the battle was over
And they counted the dead,
The victory was ours:
The Maccabees led.
They made pure the Temple
And kindled the lights
And a miracle happened:
They burned for eight nights. -
Al hanissim, ve’al hapurkan,
Ve’al hag’vurot ve’al hateshu’ot,
Ve’al hamilchamot she’asita la’avoteinu
Bayamim haheim, bazman hazeh.
In honor of the miracles and deliverance,
Heroic deeds and salvation wrought
And wars You fought, for our fathers,
In days of yore and in present time. -
I am so mixed up that I cannot tell you,
I’m sitting in this blender turning brown.
I’ve made friends with the onions & the flour,
& the cook is scouting oil in the town.
I sit here wondering what will come of me,
I can’t be eaten looking as I do.
I need someone to take me out & cook me,
Or I’ll really end up in a royal stew.
Chorus:
I am a latke, I am a latke
& I am waiting for Chanukah to come
I am a latke, I am latke
& I am waiting for Chanukah to come
Every holiday has foods so special,
I’d like to have that same attention too,
I do not want to spend life in this blender,
Wondering what I’m supposed to do.
Matza & choroset are for Pesach,
Chopped liver & challah for Shabbat
Blintzes on Shavuot are delicious,
& gefilte fish no holiday’s without.
Chorus…
It’s important that I have an understanding
Of what it is that I’m supposed to do,
You see, there are many who are homeless,
With no jobs, no clothes & very little food.
It’s so important that we all remember,
That while we have most of the things we need,
We must remember those who have so little,
We must help them, we must be the ones to feed…
Chorus…
-
Mi y’maleil g’vurot Yisrael
Otan mi yimneh?
Hein b’khol dor yakum hagibor,
go-el ha-am.
Sh’ma!
Ba-yamim ha-heim ba-z’man hazeh
Makkabi moshiya u’fodeh
U’v’yameinu kol am Yisrael
Yitacheid yakum l’higa-el.
Who can retell the things that befell us, who can count them?
In every age a hero or sage came to our aid
Hear! In days of yore in Israel’s ancient land
Maccabeus led the faithful band
Now all Israel must as one arise
Redeem itself through deed and sacrifice -
Chanukah, Oh Chanukah
Come light the menorah
Let’s have a party
We’ll all dance the hora
Gather round the table, we’ll have a treat
Sivivon to play with, latkes to eat
And while we are playing
The candles are burning low
One for each night, they shed a sweet light
To remind us of days long ago
Yiddish transliteration:
Chanukah, O Chanukah
A yontev a sheyner
A lustiger a freylicher
Nito noch azoyner
Ale nacht in dreydl shpiln mir
Zudigheyse latkes esn mir
Geshvinder tsindt kinder
Di dininke lichtelech on
Zogt “al ha-nisim,” loybt Got far di nisim
Un kumt gicher tantsn in kon
Chanukah, Oh Chanukah, a festival of joy,
A holiday, a jolly-day, for every girl and boy.
Spin the whirling dreidels all week long,
Eat the sizzling latkes, sing the happy songs!
Now light then, tonight then, the flickering candles in a row, Retell the wondrous story of God in all God’s glory, And dance by the candles` cheering glow. -
Light one candle for the Maccabee children
With thanks that their light didn’t die
Light one candle for the pain they endured
When their right to exist was denied
Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice
Justice and freedom demand
But light one candle for the wisdom to know
When the peacemaker’s time is at hand
Don’t let the light go out!
It’s lasted for so many years!
Don’t let the light go out!
Let it shine through our hope and our tears.
(2x)
Light one candle for the strength that we need
To never become our own foe
And light one candle for those who are suffering
Pain we learned so long ago
Light one candle for all we believe in
That anger not tear us apart
And light one candle to find us together
With peace as the song in our hearts
Don’t let the light go out!
It’s lasted for so many years!
Don’t let the light go out!
Let it shine through our hope and our tears.
(2x)
What is the memory that’s valued so highly
That we keep it alive in that flame?
What’s the commitment to those who have died
That we cry out they’ve not died in vain?
We have come this far always believing
That justice would somehow prevail
This is the burden, this is the promise
This is why we will not fail!
Don’t let the light go out!
Don’t let the light go out!
Don’t let the light go out! -
I’ve been waiting for dear Chanukah
All the long year through
I’ve been dreaming of the Maccabees
And potato latkes, too!
Can’t you see the candles glowing
And the shammash nice and tall?
I can vision Judah Maccabee
Marching down the hall.
I’ve been waiting for dear Chanukah
Impatient as can be;
I’ve been dreaming of some presents
For a good little kid like me!
I want to sing the blessings
In English and Hebrew
And to kindle the menorah,
Cause I’m proud to be a Jew. -
Not by might and not by power,
But by spirit alone,
Shall all men live in peace.
Not by might and not by power,
But by spirit alone,
Shall all men live in peace.
The children sing
The children dream
And their tears may fall
But we’ll hear them call
And another song will rise
Another song will rise
Another song will rise! -
Yiddish transliteration:
Fayer, fayer… oy, s’iz heys!
Fayer, fayer… oy, s’iz heys!
Oy, s’iz heys! Oy, se brent a fayer!
Fayerdike, brenendike, heyse latkes!
Oy, se brent a fayer! Oy, s’iz heys!
Fayerdike, brenendike, heyse latkes!
Oy, oy, oy, oy! Oy, se brent a fayer!
Oy, s’iz heys!
Fayerdike, brenendike, heyse latkes!
Fayer, fayer… oy, s’iz heys!
Fayerdike, brenendike, heyse latkes!
Fire, fire… oy, it’s hot!
Fire, fire… oy, it’s hot!
Oy, it’s hot! Oy, a fire’s burning!
Flaming, fiery, red hot latkes!
Oy, a fire’s burning! Oy, it’s hot!
Flaming, fiery, red hot latkes!
Oy, oy, oy, oy! Oy, a fire’s burning!
Oy, it’s hot!
Flaming, fiery, red hot latkes!
Fire, fire… oy, it’s hot!
Flaming, fiery, red hot latkes!
-
S’vivon, sov, sov, sov
Chanukah, hu chag tov
Chanukah, hu chag tov
S’vivon, sov, sov, sov!
Chag simcha hu la-am
Nes gadol haya sham
Nes gadol haya sham
Chag simcha hu la-am.
Translation:
Dreidel, spin, spin, spin.
Chanukah is a great holiday.
It is a celebration for our nation.
A great miracle happened there. -
Each Chanukah we glorify brave Judas Maccabeus
Who had the courage to defy Antiochus and free us.
Yet it is not that we should forget
Mrs. Maccabeus to whom we owe a debt.
She mixed them, she fixed them, she poured them into a bowl,
You may not guess, but it was the lat-kes
That gave brave Judah a soul.
The Syrians said, “It cannot be that old Mattathias,
Whose years are more than 83, will dare to defy us!”
But they did not know his secret, you see: Mattathias dined on latkes and tea.
One latke, two latkes, and so on into the night,
You may not guess, but it was the lat-kes
That gave him the courage to fight.
Now these little latkes, so brown and delicious,
Must have really hit the spot, ‘cause with appetites so vicious,
All the heroes downed them after their toil,
Causing in the Temple a shortage of oil!
One latke, two latkes, and so on into the night,
You may not guess, but it was the lat-kes
That gave us the Chanukah lights. -
Chanukah, Chanukah,
Chag yafeh kol kach
Or chaviv, misaviv,
Gil l’yeled rach.
Chanukah, Chanukah,
S’vivon sov sov
Sov sov sov, sov sov sov,
Mah na’im vatov.
Sing-able English:
Chanukah, Chanukah, what a holiday,
Chanukah, Chanukah, time to sing and play,
Chanukah, Chanukah, watch the dreidl turn,
Turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn,
As the candles burn. -
It’s a world of laughter
A world of tears
It’s a world of hopes and world of fears
There’s so much that we share
That it’s time we’re aware
Happy Chanukah to all.
Eat the latkes, light the lights
The Menorah will burn bright
We’ll play dreidel every night
Happy Chanukah to all! -
Hanerot halalu, anu madlikin
These lights do we kindle -
Yiddish transliteration:
Borukh Ateh, zingt der tate
Un er tzindt di likht.
Un di shtraln, milde faln
Oyf zayn blas gezikht.
Un a fayer, heylik, tayer
In di oygn laykht.
Un der mider, mit di glider
Hot zikh oysgeglaykht.
Un es dakht zikh un es trakht zich:
S’iz nokh epes do.
S’iz geblibn vos tzu libn,
Heylik iz di sho.
Alte klangen, lang fargangen,
Neyn! Es kingt nokh atzind.
Zing zhe, tate, Boruch Ateh,
Un ikh blayb dayn kind.
“Blessed are You”, the father sings
As he lights the candles.
And the mild, delicate light
falls upon his pale face.
A fire that’s precious and holy
shines in his eyes;
And this stooped, tired man
begins to stand erect.
And it seems to me, and we believe it,
There still is something here,
there remains much to love.
The hour is a holy one.
Old sounds, long forgotten?
But no, they are still resounding.
Sings father: “Borukh ato . . . .”
I am still your child.
