Oak trees were planted
Archeological dig
Chanukah’s first light

Our third day in Israel started with a visit to Neot Kedumim where we planted some oak trees. At the Tel Maresha archeological excavation we explored some caves and helped to find artifacts from the time of the story of Chanukah, 2200 years ago.

After a visit to  Yad La-Shiryon, the Latrun Armored IDF Corps center and memorial, our activities ended a the Nalaga’at Center in Jaffa where we saw a play performed by blind and deaf actors and then enjoyed dinner served by deaf waiters. We even learned some Israeli sign language after lighting our chanukiah for the first night of Chanukah.

Chanukah in Israel … Nes Gadol Hayah Po … a great miracle happened here!

Remember to visit Temple Chai’s TC Israel Adventure blog for more about our trip.

The flames have gone out
But not all were flames of joy
Israel needs help

Flames of destruction
Have at last been extinguished
But there’s much to do

So gather some gelt
To help rebuild the forest
Don’t wait – do it now!

The flames that burned for eight days in our homes were filled with joy and celebration. In Israel, even as they remembered the victory of the Maccaabees, flames took dozens of lives, destroyed thousands of acres of forest and burned millions of trees.  Now, amidst mourning for at least 42 lives lost, the rebuilding begins.

JNF, famous for helping us to plant trees in Israel, has established Operation Carmel Renewal: From Black to Green to help rebuild and renew the Carmel Forest that was destroyed during Chanukah. There are many links in this blog post – all of them lead to a page where you can make a donation. Please share some of what you received during the holiday and help our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisrael.

Did I miss three nights?
Hope your chag was sameach
Filled with joy and light

Here are three more links
To finish the holiday
Hope you enjoy them

Listen to music from the Sephardic Music Festival

Watch a Texas-style perforamce of the dreidel song:

And see if Jon Stewart can convince Stephen Colbert to try a little Chanukah:

G-dcast helps us learn
The story of Chanukah
It’s animated!

G-dcast has animated episodes for each weekly Torah portion and for the holidays. Click on the video below or on this link to see their spin on Chanukah.

Chanukah remix
Some wonderful Jewish tunes
Reinterpreted

A Chanukah gift from Tablet Magazine – “Another Tune, Another Way” a collection of remixed versions of Chanukah and Jewish classics. Just click here for the story and to download the entire album.

For Shabbat – a song
It’s an infectious ditty
By the Maccabeats

If you’re on Facebook, you’ve almost certainly seen this. Watch it again – it’s worth it! Go ahead … your feet will start tapping as a smile comes to your face.

Apple sauce, sour cream?
This year there’s a new question
What goes in between?

Dan Pashman at The Sporkful Blog has created a sandwich that would make Paula Deen proud. Click on the picture to read Dan’s blog post about this new Chanukah treat.

For the latest on the  ”Applesauce vs. Sour Cream” debate check out this post at the RJ.org blog.

Do you know Judith?
For female empowerment
She’s among the best.

A bonus this year
Chanukah has two Shabbats
It’s G-d’s gift to us

Last night’s Saturday Night Live  Christmas Holiday special included the first-ever performance of Adam Sander’s   Chanukah song.   I wasn’t going to post it as one of my Chanukah music choices because it’s so well known.  But there’s something about seeing the original version of a song that has become a classic.  Enjoy …

The dreidel tells us
A miracle happened there
Nun, Gimmel, Hey, Shin

But in Israel
The miracle happened “here”
Nun, Gimmel, Hey, Peh

Here is a very cool version of the Dreidel Song – performed by Joshua Nelson from the album Lights: Celebrate Hanukkah: Live in Concert