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Lots of latkes at the Great Performances Latke Festival.
(Photo: ©Great Performances) |
For the Whole Family
Chanukah on Ice
Wollman Rink, Central Park, 59th St. at Sixth Ave.
Sponsored by the Chabad Centers of New York City, the annual Chanukah on Ice is your chance to skate in Central Park to live music while snacking on complimentary kosher fare. And, because New York has a penchant for giant menorahs, they’ll be lighting one … made of ice.
Date: December 7, 6–9 p.m.
Price: Online: $25 with skate rental, $18 with no skate rental; at the door: $28 with skate rental, $20 with no skate rental. Children under 3 are free. Buy tickets here.
CBST Family Chanukah Party
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, 57 Bethune St., nr. Washington St.; 212-929-9498
This progressive, LGBTQ-friendly congregation will host its annual Hanukkah celebration for the whole family. In addition to the candle lighting, expect plenty of crafts, dreidels, and music, plus latkes and sufganiyot to nosh on.
Date: December 6, 3–6 p.m.
Price: $20 per family.
Hanukkah Family Day
The Jewish Museum, 1109 5th Ave. at 92nd St.; 212-423-3337
So many activities await at this year's Hanukkah Family Day. As a “JM tradition,” parents and children can build a makeshift menorah out of found objects and peruse the museum’s world-famous Hanukkah lamp collection. Or enjoy live performances by illustrator-storyteller Jeff Hopkins and Jewish children’s-music group ShirLaLa. Cap off the day with a reading from Dear Santa, Love, Rachel Rosenstein with authors Andrea Troyer and Amanda Peet (yes, that Amanda Peet).
Date: December 6, noon–4 p.m.
Price: Free with museum admission; $15 for adults; $12 for seniors; $7.50 for students; free for children 18 and under and members.
Glow-in-the-Dark Chanukah Dinner
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd St.; 212-415-5500
Flashlights and glow sticks are encouraged as the community gathers to eat dinner, sing, and light the menorah together.
Date: December 11, 6 p.m.
Price: $30 for adults, $15 for children; buy tickets here.
A Rocking Chanukah Celebration
West End Synagogue, 190 Amsterdam Ave., nr. 69th St.; 212-579-0777
Celebrate with West End's congregation at an evening featuring children’s crafts, a workshop on human rights led by Rabbi Marc Margolius, and “Any Way You Light It,” a performance by renowned Jewish vocalist Naomi Less and her half-Israeli, half-American band.
Date: December 6, 3–6 p.m.
Price: $10–35; More information on pricing and registration here.
Lighting of the World's Largest Hanukkah Menorah
Grand Army Plaza, Fifth Avenue at 59th St.
A 32-foot-high, 4,000-pound steel golden menorah is the centerpiece for this scaled-up Hanukkah tradition. Organizers will light the mammoth menorah every night at 5:30 p.m. beginning on Sunday, except on Friday and Saturday, when it will be lit at 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively.
Date: December 6–13.
Price: Free.
Adults Only
Great Performances Latke Festival
The Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St., nr. Sixth Ave.
Wow, that’s a lotta latkes. Restaurants and bakeries will be serving up the traditional Jewish potato pancake to festival guests, not to mention competing for the taste buds of the judges who will vote on the best interpretation. Proceeds from the festival benefit nonprofit culinary programs for children.
Date: December 7, 6:30–9 p.m.
Price: $65–100; Buy tickets here.
Light Up the Night Young Friends Hanukkah Gala
Museum of Jewish Heritage, Edmond J. Safra Plaza, 36 Battery Pl. at 1st Pl.; 646-437-4252
On the fifth night, the renowned Jewish-history museum will host its annual party for young professionals, including an open bar, dinner, dancing, and a silent auction. All proceeds benefit the museum’s programs and educational initiatives. Cocktail attire is a must.
Date: December 3, 8 p.m.–midnight.
Price: $108 for museum members, $126 for non-members; buy tickets here.
The 9th Annual Menorah Horah!
The Hall at MP, 470 Driggs Ave., nr. N. 10th St., Williamsburg; 718-387-4001
Get a babysitter for this one: an evening hosted by drag queen Sherry Vine and featuring burlesque performers “of the Jewish persuasion” the Schlep Sisters. The annual pageant-style show will feature a host of burlesque stars battling it out for the title of Brightest Candle on the Menorah.
Date: December 12, 7:30 p.m.
Price: $20–30; buy tickets here.
Delancey to Doughnuts: A Chanukah Walking Tour
Stanton Street Synagogue, 180 Stanton St., nr. Attorney St.; 212-374-4100
This walking tour kicks off at the Congregation Bnai Jacob Anshe Brzezan and winds through some of the Lower East Side's most historic Jewish landmarks, like the Essex Street Market and the only remaining Romaniote tradition synagogue, concluding with coffee and sufganiyot.
Date: December 13, 10:45 a.m.
Price: $23 for adults, $21 for students and seniors; register here.
Matzoball 2015
Capitale, 130 Bowery, nr. Grand St.; 212-389-9922
Finally bring home the nice Jewish girl or boy your mom’s been waiting for! Meet them here, at one of the nation’s biggest Jewish singles events. The party bills this, its 28th iteration, as an “unforgettable Jewcy adventure.”
Date: December 24, 9 p.m.–4 a.m.
Price: $40–75; buy tickets here.
