Hanukkah Around the World

by Tami Lehman-Wilzig, Vicki Wehrman (Illustrator)

A visual celebration of the Jewish holiday travels around the world to see how different cultures mark the occasion, from a torch relay in Modi'in, Israel, to a candle lighting on the beach in Sydney, Australia. Simultaneous.

Genres: Childrens, Judaism, Nonfiction, Picture Books, History, Holiday

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Tyler Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

An introduction to Hanukkah traditions around the world, with recipes.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful and extremely informative short story. Don’t let the book cover fool you to thinking it might be a picture book of few words. It seems to be directed to middle school aged children. It explains the history of Hanukkah and how it is celebrated around the world. There is a chapter and explanation for each of eight different countries and while celebrations vary slightly the intent is the same. There is also a short piece in each of those chapters about the Jewish population in that country and how it is they came to be there. Also is a recipe of a food mentioned in each chapter. Lots of great info provided which has immensely aided my understanding of Hanukkah, mostly because it has gone beyond an explanation of the candles and oil, the eight days of celebration and the dreidel, and incorporated the many historical events and traditions as celebrated around the world.

I really enjoyed this book and all of the lovely stories.I would highly recommend this book as great place to learn about Hanukkah.

[Jennifer ☕ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun. I loved learning about Chanukah in other countries around the world.
I wish the book were longer and a little more in depth, but not sure if it would hold
a child's attention being long and thorough. Overall, good enjoyable and colorful read.

[Krissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This look at how Hanukkah is celebrated around the world also includes the history of the celebration, Jewish traditions, recipes, and facts from other countries regarding their Hanukkah celebrations.
This book is very interesting and informative. The stories from different countries are a bit too similar and long, but don’t detract from the interesting details shared in the book.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hanukkah Around the World is a classic, offering a bedtime story for each of the eight nights. The stories are set all over the world and share diverse Hanukkah traditions. There is a delicious recipe to go along with each story that families can cook for each Hanukkah night. In addition, the beginning of the book includes Hanukkah information and lore.

[Chinook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this would be a Kait-age Book but it was for older children. I read it anyway because it’s quite informative, both about Hanukkah basics and about interesting variations of the holiday in countries around the world.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hanukkah Around the World is a solid introduction to the general ideas and traditions of Hanukkah, as well as a great introduction to some of the ways the celebrations might vary around the world. The recipes at the end of each story were a great addition.

Would recommend!

[louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent children's book on Hanukkah that demonstrates the various cultural diversity and variations, but also to show the creativity and fun we can have to teach children the meaning of Hanukkah. I enjoyed this book very much.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars

[Barbara Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book with a story, recipe, map and history of how different Jewish communities celebrate Hannukah around the world.
Beautiful pictures. Fun stories. Want to make a few of the recipe.

[Nanny B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book with a story, recipe, map and history of how different Jewish communities celebrate Hannukah around the world.
Beautiful pictures. Fun stories. Want to make a few of the recipe.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Around 200 B.C., the Syrian Empire defeated Egypt and gained control of Judea and the surrounding region. About thirty years later, King Antiochus IV laid siege to Jerusalem, killed thousands of Jews, defiled the temple by erecting an altar to Zeus and sacrificing pigs on it, and allowed his soldiers to plunder and loot the city. Judah Maccabee, the son of the priest Mattathias, led a revolt that eventually liberated the Jews from Syrian rule. In order to light the temple menorah and rededicate the temple, pure olive oil was needed, but only enough was found for one day's worth of light. Miraculously, the oil lasted eight days instead.

Hanukkah, also called Chag Ha'or, or the holiday of light, is celebrated every year to commemorate this miracle, as well as the miracle that a small band of poorly armed Jews was able to defeat the large and well-trained Syrian army. This delightful children's book, Hanukkah around the World, highlights how far-flung Jewish communities participate in remembering these miracles annually by using vignettes of families in different countries.

In Uzbekistan, family feasts are held every night of the eight-day span of Hanukkah. Jews in Turin, Italy, gather at the synagogue four months before Hanukkah to commemorate the day the temple was destroyed and prepare for the celebration of its rededication. Hanukkah falls during the summer in Sydney, Australia, and is celebrated with a large outdoor festival. For one of my favorite traditions covered, Tunisian Jews honor Jewish heroines on the seventh day of Hanukkah with a feast only for women and girls and stories of Judith, Sarah, Rachel, Miriam, and others. Celebrations in Modi'in, Israel; New York City; Istanbul, Turkey; and Warsaw, Poland are described as well. Each chapter also includes the recipe for a traditional Hanukkah dish from that country – sufganiot, burmelos, and jarkoff join the more familiar potato latkes and decorated sugar cookies.

My children have been begging to try out some of the Hanukkah traditions they learned from this book. Luckily, we still have plenty of potatoes from our garden to make latkes, but I'd better go find some gelt for the dreidel games! Happy Hanukkah!

For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.

[Beth G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a few introductory pages about the holiday story and symbols, and a two-page spread on how to play Dreidel, brief vignettes describe family celebrations of Hanukkah in Israel, the United States, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Italy, Australia, Poland, and Tunisia. Each story is accompanied by a note about the Jewish community in that country and a recipe (all of which look delicious), plus full-color painted illustrations. The stories are a little contrived, and explanations of things like why Hanukkah is celebrated in the summer in Australia would have been nice. Personally, I was mystified by the "Hanukkah Wheel". Is this an East Coast thing? Still, the book is a visually appealing glimpse into Jewish customs around the world. Great for browsing, and likely to spark interest in further reading (and cooking).

[Margaret Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

My congregation has a vision statement with four planks. One of them is Embracing Diversity. This book helps us reach that goal. In eight nights she tells eight stories from around the world. Chanukah is not just latkes and dreidles. Every country has their own take on how to joyously celebrate Chanukah. This book combines stories good for reading around the Chanukah lights, games, songs, recipes. A great edition to anyone's Chanukah library!

[K.T. Katzmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of all the diverse traditions and celebrations mentioned, the one thread that unites it all and represents Judaism is "a deep frying pan."

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for kids on how other countries celebrate Hanukkah.