A look into the Hanukkah celebration
Overview of Hanukkah.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzLearn about the history of Hanukkah.
News •
'Chanukah 250' initiative to bring Hanukkah celebrations to all 50 US states
• Nov. 5, 2026, 10:07 AM ET (Jerusalem Post)
Not letting Jews work from home on Sabbath is discrimination, says report
• Oct. 27, 2026, 2:56 PM ET (The Telegraph)
Transcript
LILIEL: "Hello, I'm Liliel and today I get to light the candles. I'm really looking forward to it."
NARRATOR: Liliel's Family is celebrating Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Light. It is a bit like Christmas, and the candles on this candelabrum are like the Christmas tree. This is the Hanukkah Menorah. This religious celebration commemorates a miracle that occurred 2,000 years ago when a tiny amount of oil kept burning for eight days in a Jewish temple. This is why Jews light a candle every evening for eight days, once a year. On the final day all eight candles are lit.
LILIEL: "Stop, it's not quite time yet. I still have a few things to do."
NARRATOR: Liliel and her mother begin to prepare the celebratory meal.
LILIEL: "These are going to be potato pancakes, we call them latkes."
NARRATOR: At Hanukkah, Liliel's Family always eats very fatty, oily foods. Now wonder, as this holiday is a celebration of the oil that burned in the temple. Liliel absolutely loves the food.
LILIEL: "Mmm, that's good."
NARRATOR: Today Liliel and her mother have to make a lot of latkes because the entire family and lots of friends are going to be visiting this evening. And they are all sure to be hungry. On Hanukkah families traditionally gather to celebrate together, and that is something Liliel particularly enjoys.
LILIEL: "Dad, we can light the candles now."
NARRATOR: And once night falls the festivities can begin.
LILIEL: "But before we do that, Dad is going to say a Hanukkah prayer. This candle is called the shamash, which means servant candle, it's the candle we use to light all the other candles. Today's the sixth day, so we light six candles. The shamash doesn't count as one of the six. We then sing traditional songs by candlelight. This is just for Hanukkah. The candles should burn for at least half an hour. We usually let them burn longer. It's time to start."
NARRATOR: So now it's time to sit down to the holiday feast Liliel and her mother have prepared: potato pancakes. The food at Jewish celebrations is always tasty and plentiful. After the meal the adults sit around and talk. That's too boring for Liliel and her friends. They play a typical Hanukkah game. The game is called dreidel, and it is played for sweets. Then comes the best part of today's Hanukkah celebration - at least for the kids. It's time to open presents.
LILIEL: "Now we're going to go the town hall square, our whole congregation is meeting there."
NARRATOR: Once there, they again enjoy lots of fatty, oily foods. And then they light candles once more for the evening prayer - very big candles.
LILIEL: "Now you know how Jews celebrate Hanukkah. To me it's the best holiday of the whole year."
NARRATOR: Liliel's Family is celebrating Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Light. It is a bit like Christmas, and the candles on this candelabrum are like the Christmas tree. This is the Hanukkah Menorah. This religious celebration commemorates a miracle that occurred 2,000 years ago when a tiny amount of oil kept burning for eight days in a Jewish temple. This is why Jews light a candle every evening for eight days, once a year. On the final day all eight candles are lit.
LILIEL: "Stop, it's not quite time yet. I still have a few things to do."
NARRATOR: Liliel and her mother begin to prepare the celebratory meal.
LILIEL: "These are going to be potato pancakes, we call them latkes."
NARRATOR: At Hanukkah, Liliel's Family always eats very fatty, oily foods. Now wonder, as this holiday is a celebration of the oil that burned in the temple. Liliel absolutely loves the food.
LILIEL: "Mmm, that's good."
NARRATOR: Today Liliel and her mother have to make a lot of latkes because the entire family and lots of friends are going to be visiting this evening. And they are all sure to be hungry. On Hanukkah families traditionally gather to celebrate together, and that is something Liliel particularly enjoys.
LILIEL: "Dad, we can light the candles now."
NARRATOR: And once night falls the festivities can begin.
LILIEL: "But before we do that, Dad is going to say a Hanukkah prayer. This candle is called the shamash, which means servant candle, it's the candle we use to light all the other candles. Today's the sixth day, so we light six candles. The shamash doesn't count as one of the six. We then sing traditional songs by candlelight. This is just for Hanukkah. The candles should burn for at least half an hour. We usually let them burn longer. It's time to start."
NARRATOR: So now it's time to sit down to the holiday feast Liliel and her mother have prepared: potato pancakes. The food at Jewish celebrations is always tasty and plentiful. After the meal the adults sit around and talk. That's too boring for Liliel and her friends. They play a typical Hanukkah game. The game is called dreidel, and it is played for sweets. Then comes the best part of today's Hanukkah celebration - at least for the kids. It's time to open presents.
LILIEL: "Now we're going to go the town hall square, our whole congregation is meeting there."
NARRATOR: Once there, they again enjoy lots of fatty, oily foods. And then they light candles once more for the evening prayer - very big candles.
LILIEL: "Now you know how Jews celebrate Hanukkah. To me it's the best holiday of the whole year."
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