Everything You Need to Celebrate Hanukkah With Kids

In the Hebrew month of Kislev (November or December in the Gregorian calendar), the days grow shorter in Israel and across the Northern Hemisphere.

Toward the end of Kislev, Jews celebrate an eight-day Festival of Lights. We tell the story of the Maccabees, ancient Jews who fought against the Greeks for their religious freedom. We practice the best-known ritual of Hanukkah: lighting the Hanukkah menorah (hanukkiah) for eight nights. Hanukkah is Hebrew for “dedication.” On Hanukkah we teach our children how the Maccabees rededicated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

Hanukkah begins the evening of Wednesday December 25, 2024 with the lighting of the first candle. The last candle is lit in the evening on Wednesday, January 1, 2025, and Hanukkah ends in the evening on Thursday, January 2, 2025.


How to Hanukkah


Hanukkah Events

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Local Nosh for Hanukkah


Hanukkah Book Guide

Wishing you and your family a Hanukkah season filled with love and light.


About PJ Library Bay Area

Content and images used with permission from PJ Library.