Hanukkah | JewishBoston

Hanukkah 2025 begins the evening of Sunday, December 14, and continues for eight days, ending Monday, December 22. Find recipes, how-to guides for lighting and cleaning a menorah, local events and more.

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Tradition

Quick and Easy Guide to Lighting the Menorah

By JewishBoston

Jew(ish)

Nine Nosh-Worthy Latkes for 2025

Kane

Jew(ish)

Six Sufganiyot Specialists

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Tradition

Our Best Hanukkah Recipes: New Twists on Holiday Classics

By JewishBoston

Events

Nov 12, 7:00 pm

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Free

Temple Israel of Boston

Thursday, November 12 7:00pm - 8:00pm

See event description for location

Requires registration Free

Go

Hanukkah Celebration for Families with Young Children

Top Pick

Families With Young Children: Latkepalooza

Nov 29, 10:00 am

The Vilna Shul, Boston

$25

Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture

Sunday, November 29 10:00am - 11:30am

The Vilna Shul18 Phillips StBoston, 02114

Requires registration $25.00

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Food & Recipes

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12/10/2025 Top Pick

Meet the Woburn Family Shipping “Grandma’s” Chicken Soup Nationwide

By Kara BaskinFor JewishBoston

12/2/2025 Top Pick

Nine Nosh-Worthy Latkes for 2025

By Kara BaskinFor JewishBoston

Kane

12/2/2025 Top Pick

Six Sufganiyot Specialists

By Kara BaskinFor JewishBoston

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11/14/2025 Top Pick

Raise a Glass: Maccabee Bar Pops Up for Its Eighth Hanukkah Season

Maccabee Bar

12/2/2024 Top Pick

The Hanukkah Cocktail Pop-Up Maccabee Bar Is Back

By Kara BaskinFor JewishBoston

11/20/2024 Top Pick

Aunt Lisl’s Butter Cookies

Bake and decorate these classic buttery cookies—a delicious treat that kids will love helping to create.

By Joan NathanFor JewishBoston

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Crafts & DIY

(Photo: iStock/chameleonseye)

12/16/2024 Top Pick

Quick and Easy Guide to Lighting the Menorah

By JewishBoston

Upcycled Crayon Candles

11/16/2021 Top Pick

Upcycled Crayon Candles

This bright idea turns something old into something new and wonderful.

By PJ Library

Hanukkah coloring book custom and craft

11/16/2021 Top Pick

Hanukkah Coloring Book

A coloring book complete with the Hanukkah prayers.

By Custom & Craft

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11/12/2021 Top Pick

Hanukkah Matching Game for Kids

By JewishBoston

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11/11/2020 Top Pick

Inclusive Holiday Cards

A new trio of interfaith cards for Hanukkah and Christmas.

By 18Doors

(Photo: Shaney Wacks)

12/3/2018 Top Pick

Five Meaningful Hanukkah Activities for Kids

By Shaney Wacks

(Image by Miriam Anzovin, modified from bortonia/iStock)

11/30/2018 Top Pick

How To Clean Your Menorah

By JewishBoston

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Traditions & Rituals

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4/10/2025 Top Pick

A Resource for Passover and Beyond

Beta version of a blessing builder on Ma’yan Tikvah.

By Ma’yan Tikvah – A Wellspring of Hope

Tea ceremony

12/16/2024 Top Pick

The Flaming Tea Ceremony: A Hanukkah Tradition Rekindled

By Judy Bolton-FasmanFor JewishBoston

(Photo: iStock/chameleonseye)

12/16/2024 Top Pick

Quick and Easy Guide to Lighting the Menorah

By JewishBoston

melaniecamp

12/12/2024 Top Pick

What To Know About Hanukkah’s “5th Night” Philanthropy Movement

By Kara BaskinFor JewishBoston

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12/14/2022 Top Pick

When Hanukkah Was About Politics and Zionism, Not Gifts

Brandeis University professor Ellen Kellman talks about how the holiday was commemorated at America’s secular Yiddish schools.

By Lawrence GoodmanFor Brandeis University

(Photo: tomertu/iStock)

12/6/2021 Top Pick

10 Parents on How Their Family Celebrates Hanukkah

CJP president Rabbi Marc Baker discusses his family’s extensive, round-robin dreidel tournament.

By Kelly KamenetzkyFor Verywell Family

Christmas gift and ornaments on tree

11/29/2021 Top Pick

Christmas Trees in Jewish Homes: A Brief History

By Julian CardilloFor Brandeis University

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Voices From Our Community

Boston Bruins Jeremy Swayman Jennthulhu Photography

12/22/2025 Top Pick

Happy Chanukah, Jeremy

This Chanukah, Jewish players are no longer anomalies in the NHL…they’re central to the game.

Malicki M Beser Unsplash

12/15/2025 Top Pick

Chanukah, But Better

Tired of oil everything on Chanukah? Cardamom and pistachios are here to give the holiday the glow-up it actually deserves.

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12/11/2025 Top Pick

Finding Strength in Each Other

Hanukkah is a time when we gather with family and community in the light of the menorah, reminded that we as Jews never face the darkness alone.

By Rabbi Marc BakerFor Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP)

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12/5/2025 Top Pick

Chanukah in the Horseshoe

As far-right and far-left antisemitism converge, Chanukah calls on us to stay visible, resilient, and unafraid.

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1/9/2025 Top Pick

Hanukkah in Ukraine Like Never Before

Hanukkah in Dnipro shone brighter than ever this year, filling a deep void of light in dark times, as the entire city embraced the Festival of Lights.

By Zelig BrezFor Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP)

Sir Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars" (Promotional still)

1/3/2025

Recognizing the Daily Miracles of Life

How Obi-Wan Kenobi and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel can teach us to appreciate the miracles in everyday life.

By Rabbi Josh BreindelFor Congregation Beth El of the Sudbury River Valley

A menorah at the burned ruins of the Siman-Tov family home in Kibbutz Nir Oz in Israel (Photo: Jennifer Weinstock)

12/26/2024 Top Pick

Light in the Darkest Place

By Jennifer WeinstockFor Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP)

REFERRAL ONLY JewJourn

12/26/2024 Top Pick

Survival and Renewal

The urgency of renewing our commitment to building deep, purposeful, and joyful Jewish identity is a profound opportunity to reignite the sparks of Judaism.

By Rabbi Marc BakerFor Jewish Journal

Rabbi Marc Baker

12/20/2024 Top Pick

Creating Light, Sharing in Miracles

By Rabbi Marc BakerFor Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP)

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12/18/2024 Top Pick

Welcoming the Light in This Season of Darkness

In 2024, Hanukkah and Christmas share a rare and meaningful overlap, both beginning on Dec. 25.

By Judy Bolton-FasmanFor WBUR

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Arts & Culture

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12/11/2025 Top Pick

It’s Hanukkah Hijinx Season on the Hallmark Channel

By Kara BaskinFor JewishBoston

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12/5/2025 Top Pick

Meet Geltpop: The Brand Bringing Big Hanukkah Energy

Want Hanukkah gifts with personality? Geltpop’s colorful, kitschy creations spark joy.

By Kara BaskinFor JewishBoston

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11/14/2025 Top Pick

From Small Sparks to a Beloved Festival

From small sparks to a towering Hanukkiah—join us again on Dec. 18.

By Laura Conrad MandelFor Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture

REFERRAL ONLY Global Arts Live

12/17/2024 Top Pick

A Beloved Hanukkah Album Gets Its Moment to Shine

The prominent Yiddish singer Moishe Oysher recorded it in the 1950s.

By Noah SchafferFor The Boston Globe

Daveed Diggs

12/12/2024 Top Pick

Music for All Eight Nights

A song for each night of Hanukkah.

By Laura Conrad MandelFor Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture

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12/9/2024 Top Pick

Illuminating Hanukkah Through Music

An evening of community joy at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

By Laura Conrad MandelFor Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture

Joshua Meyer artist and CJP grantee

12/14/2023 Top Pick

Artist Joshua Meyer Finds Light in Hanukkah-Themed Work

Cambridge artist and CJP grantee Joshua Meyer’s “Eight Approaches" is an intriguing abstract work currently on display at the Worcester Art Museum.

By Richard DuckettFor Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Boston, MA - December 5: Concluding a ceremony in Copley Square in Boston, Boston City Councilor Kenzie Bok lit a giant menorah on the last day of Hanukkah on December 5, 2021. Two lifts carried participants, including Governor Charlie Baker, up for the lighting. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

12/9/2023 Top Pick

All of the Lights: Ways To Celebrate Hanukkah in Boston This Season

We’ve got things to eat and drink, events around Boston and even some light reading to help you mark the holiday, no matter how you’re celebrating.

By Hanna AliFor WBUR

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11/21/2023 Top Pick

Preview the MFA’s New Gallery Devoted to Judaica

By Kara BaskinFor JewishBoston

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Community News

REFERRAL ONLY BosGlo

12/19/2025 Top Pick

Dedham Celebrates Hanukkah With Car Parade, Menorah Lighting

A small crowd gathered in front of the town hall to spread a big message of light in a time of darkness, figuratively and literally.

By Camille BugayongFor The Boston Globe

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12/15/2025 Top Pick

‘I’m Tired of Being Scared’: Grappling With the Bondi Beach Attack

The fear that Jewish people are living with is not geographically contained.

By Mariya ManzhosFor Deseret News

REFERRAL ONLY BosGlo MATTHEW ABBOTT/NYT

12/15/2025 Top Pick

Local Jewish Leaders React With Heartbreak, Determination

An antisemitic shooting in Australia is sending shockwaves through New England’s Jewish community.

By Brian MacQuarrieFor The Boston Globe

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12/15/2025 Top Pick

Menorah Lighting Assumes Extra Meaning in Wake of Sydney Massacre

By 7 News Boston

REFERRAL ONLY BosHerald AP Photo/Mark Baker

12/14/2025 Top Pick

15 Dead After Gunmen Attack Hanukkah Event at Bondi Beach

Massachusetts community leaders react to the tragedy: ‘Fierce commitment not to dim our lights in the face of those who try to extinguish them.’

By Grace ZokovitchFor Boston Herald

Andrew Burke-Stevenson

12/25/2024 Top Pick

Boston Marks First Night of Hanukkah

More than 100 people gathered for the 41st annual menorah lighting on Boston Common, celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas with unity and light.

By Adam SennottFor The Boston Globe

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12/25/2024 Top Pick

Boston Kicks Off Hanukkah With Menorah Lighting

Despite Israel’s challenges and rising antisemitism, Jewish community members vow to continue honoring and celebrating annual traditions.

By Michael RosenfieldFor NBC10 Boston

Erin Clark

12/21/2024 Top Pick

For Some Interfaith Families, a Special Holiday Season

For the first time in almost 20 years, Hanukkah falls on Christmas Day, a rare quirk of the calendar that has occurred only four times since 1900.

By Nick StoicoFor The Boston Globe

Sarah Levitin Chrismukkah

12/18/2024 Top Pick

Hanukkah’s Arrival on Christmas Renews ‘Chrismukkah’

How interfaith families celebrate, blend and balance holiday traditions.

By Jacob GurvisFor Jewish Telegraphic Agency

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12/8/2023 Top Pick

At Menorah Lighting, Healey Invokes ‘Love and Support’

Denouncing the scourge of hate fueled by the Israel-Hamas War, Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu stood in solidarity with the Jewish community for Hanukkah.

By Alison KuznitzFor Gloucester Daily Times

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