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What to do every night of Hanukkah 2023 in NYC

This story will be updated with Hanukkah events throughout the holiday. Send an email to jgergely@jewishweek.org with the details if you’d like us to add yours to our list!

(New York Jewish Week) – December is already upon us, and that means Hanukkah is almost here. This year the holiday begins on the evening of Thursday, Dec. 7 and lasts through Dec. 14 — though there’s no shortage of pre-Hanukkah events around the city have already started marking the holiday. 

With rising antisemitism in New York City amidst the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the Jewish community needs to celebrate our light now more than ever. Whether you’re looking for a doughnut-making class, a menorah-lighting ceremony, a dance party or a dreidel-decorating session, New York’s Hanukkah scene has everything to help you celebrate the holiday. 

Keep scrolling for our list of Hanukkah events across the city this year. 

Pre-Hanukkah fun

Glow-in-the-Dark Hanukkah Dinner

92NY is kicking off Hanukkah a week in advance with a glow-in-the-dark dinner on Friday at 5:30 p.m in their Buttenweiser Hall. Geared towards families with children, there will be a Kabbalat Shabbat and kosher catered dinner. Get tickets for $36 here.

Hanukkah Bazaar by Tablet Magazine

Tablet Magazine is hosting a Hanukkah Bazaar from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday at Lavan Midtown. Here, you can get all your gift shopping done ahead of the holiday: vendors include Seed + Mill, Batsheva, Ariel Tidhar, Mamaleh Jewelry, the Jewish Book Council and more. Tickets start at $18, find more information here.

Rebecca Day at the Museum of Jewish Heritage

The historical American Girl doll Rebecca Rubin is a Russian-Jewish immigrant who lived on the Lower East Side in 1914. (Courtesy Museum of Jewish Heritage)

Bring your American Girl doll to the Museum of Jewish Heritage on Sunday at 1 p.m. to celebrate Rebecca Rubin, the Jewish American Girl doll who was a Russian Jewish immigrant who lived on the Lower East Side in 1914. Activities include a latke lunch, dreidel-making, a tour of the museum and a discussion with the author of the Rebecca book series, Jacqueline Dembar Greene. The event is free but a $10 donation is suggested. Learn more here.

Havurah Hanukkah Fair

Havurah, a Jewish arts collective, hosts Jewish art fairs throughout the year. (David Gutenmacher)

Havurah, a Jewish arts collective, is hosting their second annual Hanukkah Fair on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. at the Jewish Center on the Upper West Side. Guests will enjoy live jazz music and free doughnuts as they peruse offerings from more than 30 vendors selling art, jewelry, literary magazines and more. Find more information for the free event here.

Hey Alma Comedy Show

Our partner site, Hey Alma, is back for their holiday comedy series, hosted by deputy editor Evelyn Frick. This year’s Hanukkah show, “Hanukkuties” is on Monday at 7:00 p.m at Caveat NYC (21A Clinton St.) and features comedians Michael Cruz Kayne, Rebecca Weiser, Brandon Follick and our own Lily Lester. Tickets for the livestream start at $10, in-person at $20. Get your tickets here.

Hot Jewish Hanukkah Book Launch Party 

Join our 2022 “36 to Watch” honoree Danielle Brody and Michael Valdes for the launch of their graphic novel “Hot Jewish Hanukkah,” a modern retelling of the Hanukkah story for ages 18+, featuring real-life Jewish creatives (including yours truly!). The book also features a Hanukkah gift guide and holiday recipes. The launch party, at Solas Bar (232 E. 9th St) is on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and will include sufganiyot, a DJ, latkes and dancing. Tickets start at $40 and include a copy of the book. Find more information and get tickets here.

Hanukkah Doughnut Masterclass with Pastry Chef Fany Gerson

The Nosher, our partner site, will host a livestream doughnut masterclass with Fany Gerson, the chef behind Fan-Fan Doughnuts on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Gerson will teach attendees how to make the dough, fry and decorate their doughnuts. Snag a ticket for $25 here.

A Roman Jewish Hanukkah Party and Schmaltzy Live

The Jewish Food Society, The Neighborhood and author Leah Koenig are hosting a Hanukkah party at the Ace Hotel Brooklyn (252 Schermerhorn Street) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The party includes a live-taping of Koenig’s podcast, “Schmaltzy,” that will tell the story of Rome’s 2,000-year-old Jewish community and cuisine. Koenig will also be signing copies of “Portico,” her cookbook of Roman Jewish food. Tickets start at $40.

Thursday, Dec. 7: The first night of Hanukkah

Light the city’s biggest menorahs

It wouldn’t be Hanukkah in New York without attending a menorah lighting outside Prospect or Central Park. Hosted by Chabad, the free menorah lighting takes place at 5:30 p.m. in Manhattan’s Grand Army Plaza outside the Plaza Hotel and will happen every night throughout the holiday. In Brooklyn, there will be a free kickoff concert with live music and latkes in another Grand Army Plaza that is adjacent to Prospect Park at 5:00 p.m., with lighting of the menorah every night of the holiday. Find the lighting schedule in Manhattan here and in Brooklyn here.

Governor Kathy Hochul speaks with CBE

Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope (271 Garfield Place) will host New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul on at 6:30 p.m. for a discussion and Hanukkah celebration in honor of their “sister community,” K’far Aza, a kibbutz in southern Israel that was attacked by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. The event will collect donations to help kibbutz residents rebuild. Find more information here.

Oy Vey! A Night of Jewish Excellence

Celebrate Hanukkah at 54 Below (254 W. 54th St.) at 9:00 p.m. with dozens of Jewish musical theater performances including songs from “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Parade” and “Falsettos,” all performed by Jewish musicians, including our very own Lily Lester. Tickets start at $15, with a food and beverage minimum of $25. Get tickets here.

Wechsler Center For Modern Aging Hanukkah Party 

Join the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan (334 Amsterdam Ave) at 3:30 p.m. for an event geared towards older adults.The party includes live music, wine, an olive oil tasting, snacks and a performance by the JCC’s Modern Ager Chorus. Tickets start at $25.

Friday, Dec. 8: The second night of Hanukkah

Shabbat Family Service and Celebration of Light Party with Temple Emanu-El

Join Temple Emanu-El (1 E 65th St) for a Shabbat of Hanukkah for a service, party and dinner. The party includes crafts, face painting, LED golf, a bounce house, snacks and a retelling of the Hanukkah story. From 4:30 p.om to 6:00 p.m., young families and nursery school students are invited to join. The service will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and a party and dinner for families with children ages 5 and up will take place from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tickets — 1 per family — start at $36. Register here.

Saturday, Dec. 9: The third night of Hanukkah

Friday Night Hub Hanukkah Party

Temple Emanu-El’s Friday Night Hub will host a Saturday night Hanukkah party at 8:00 p.m. for young professionals ages 21-39. The party, held at the synagogue, will feature live music, dreidels, gifts, sufganiyot and food by Jake Cohen and Joan Nathan. Tickets start at $36, find more information here.

Hanukkah Hootenanny at East Midwood Jewish Center

Join the East Midwood Jewish Center on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. for a their annual Hanukkah party and a Havadalah celebration. Featuring music from Jacob’s Ladder Bluegrass Band and latkes, donuts and crafts, the evening has something fun for all ages. Tickets start at $40 for adults, find more information here.

The Seventh Annual Chanukahstravaganza

Say that five times fast. Comedians Lana Schwartz and Ilana Michelle Rubin will host their annual Hanukkah comedy show on Saturday at 8:30 p.m., this year at Brooklyn Comedy Collective (167 Graham Ave). The show features Jewish comedians Brandon Follick, Blair Dawson, Josh Gondelman, Anna Roisman and Anna Suzuki. Tickets start at $15.

Sunday, Dec. 10: The fourth night of Hanukkah

Crafts and Menorah Lighting at South Street Seaport Museum

From 11 a.m., head over to the South Street Seaport Museum (12 Fulton St.) for a free menorah lighting and crafts, as well as access to the museum and the 19th-century ships at Pier 16. Make a baggywrinkle, a maritime-inspired decoration, and tour the museum and ships. Registration for the free event is required.

92NY’s Hanukkah Festival: Bring in the Light!

92NY (1395 Lexington Ave.) hosts their annual Hanukkah festival on Sunday at 11 a.m. featuring crafts, make-your-own treats, a live Hanukkah game show and an Israeli folk dance performance. Tickets for the in-person event begin at $18.

Sunday Story Time: Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins

For this week’s Sunday Story time for young New Yorkers ages 3-6, the New York Historical Society (170 Central Park West) is reading “Hershel and The Hanukkah Goblins” at 11:30 a.m. Afterwards, stay for dancing, games and dreidel-making. Tickets are free with museum admission ($24 for adults). More information here.

Hershel and The Hanukkah Goblins: An Unauthorized Parody Musical

For adults that want their own version of the “Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins” story, join comedians Sam Clark and Gus Mayopoulos for their brand-new musical about the folktale hero Hershel of Ostropol. The laugh-out-loud performance will take place at 4:30 p.m. at Caveat NYC (21A Clinton St.) Tickets start at $10 for the livestream and $18 for in-person. Get tickets and read more about it here.

Brooklyn Conservatory of Music Hanukkah Celebration

The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music (58 7th Ave.) will host their annual Hanukkah party this year at 7 p.m. Co-hosted with The Neighborhood: An Urban Center for Jewish Life, the concert and party includes music from The Klezmer Big Band of Light and other klezmer musicians. There will also be performances by Yula Beeri, Isaac Gardner and INDIGA. The party includes latkes, karaoke, coloring and a cash bar. Tickets start at $10 for children and $20 for adults. Find more information here.

Monday, Dec. 11: The fifth night of Hanukkah

Unorthodox Comedy Hanukkah Edition

Every month, comedian Chani Lisbon hosts “Unorthodox Comedy” inside of Sixth Street Synagogue (325 E 6th St). This month, the Hanukkah-themed show takes place at 7:30 p.m., with a percentage of the proceeds donated to the IDF. Jewish comedians Mathew Broussard, Liz Glazer, Harrison Greenbaum, Elon Altman and Chani Lisbon will perform. Get tickets, starting at $36, here

Tuesday, Dec. 12: The sixth night of Hanukkah

Hanukkah on Ice

Chabad of the West Side hosts their annual “Hanukkah on Ice” this year at 6:00 p.m. at Wollman Rink in Central Park. A $35 ticket includes access to the rink, live music, a visit with a lifesize dreidel mascot, hot drinks, doughnuts and food from Famous Pita. Learn more and buy your tickets here.

Good & Fantzye Hanukkah

Good Pierogie and Fantzye Suppers will host a Hanukkah dinner at Farm to People (1100 Flushing Ave.) from 5:00 p.m. Make a reservation for dinner featuring an a la carte menu of sweet and savory latkes, vegetarian fritto misto, market fish with spicy pickles, winter chicory salad and rugelach. 

Wednesday, Dec. 13: The seventh night of Hanukkah

20s, 30s, 40s Hanukkah Party with Town and Village Synagogue

Town and Village Synagogue (334 East 14th St.) is hosting a Hanukkah party for Young Professionals at 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at $18 and include drinks, snacks and music.

Thursday, Dec. 14: The eighth night of Hanukkah

Sacred Rhythms: A Hanukkah Journey Through Breath 

On the final night of Hanukkah, Shefa and The Neighborhood host a collaborative spiritual gathering in honor of Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of a new month, and the last night of Hanukkah. Taking place at Gaia NoMaya (510 Flatbush Ave) at 6:30 p.m., there will be a teaching of Jewish wisdom from Arielle Krule and vegan and vegetarian food. Guests are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and bring a water bottle and journal. Tickets start at $36.

20s and 30s Hanukkah Party on the Upper West Side

At 7:00 p.m., the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan hosts their 20s and 30s Hanukkah party in partnership with B’nai Jeshurun, Masa Israel Journey, Moishe House, The Jewish Agency For Israel, UJA-Federation of New York and Trybal Gatherings. The party features an open bar, DJ, photo booth and latkes and sufganiyot. Tickets start at $36.


The post What to do every night of Hanukkah 2023 in NYC appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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US Clamps Sanctions on Israel-bashing UN Rights Monitor Albanese

Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, attends a side event during the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, March 26, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

The Trump administration has imposed sweeping sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, citing the UN official’s lengthy record of singling out Israel for condemnation.

In a post on X, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions under a February executive order targeting those who “prompt International Criminal Court (ICC) action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives.” He accused Albanese of waging “political and economic warfare” against both nations and asserted that “such efforts will no longer be tolerated.”

“Today I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt [International Criminal Court] action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives,” Rubio announced on X/Twitter.

“Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated,” declared the Trump administration’s top foreign affairs official. “We will always stand by our partners in their right to self-defense.”  

Rubio concluded: “The United States will continue to take whatever actions we deem necessary to respond to lawfare and protect our sovereignty and that of our allies.”

The decision to impose sanctions on Albanese marks an escalation in the ongoing feud between the White House and the United Nations over Israel. The Trump administration has repeatedly accused the UN and Albanese of unfairly targeting Israel and mischaracterizing the Jewish state’s conduct in Gaza. 

Albanese, an Italian lawyer and academic, has held the position of UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories since 2022. The position authorizes her to monitor and report on alleged “human rights violations” by Israel against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. 

Last week, Albanese issued a scathing report accusing companies of helping Israel maintain a so-called “genocide economy.” She called on the companies to cut off economic ties with Israel and warned that they might be guilty of “complicity” in the so-called “genocide” in Gaza. 

Critics of Albanese have long accused her of exhibiting an excessive anti-Israel bias, calling into question her fairness and neutrality.

Albanese has an extensive history of using her role at the UN to denigrate Israel and seemingly rationalize Hamas’ attacks on the Jewish state.

In the months following the Palestinian terrorist group’s atrocities across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Albanese accused the Jewish state of perpetrating a “genocide” against the Palestinian people in revenge for the attacks and circulated a widely derided and heavily disputed report alleging that 186,000 people had been killed in the Gaza war as a result of Israeli actions. 

The action comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Washington, where he has received a warm reception from the Trump administration. Netanyahu has been meeting with US officials to discuss next steps in the ongoing Gaza military operation. 

Gideon Sa’ar, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Israel, commended the Rubio announcement with his own post on X/Twitter, exclaiming: A clear message. Time for the UN to pay attention!” 

The post US Clamps Sanctions on Israel-bashing UN Rights Monitor Albanese first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Hardball: Trump Administration Reports Harvard to Accreditor Over Antisemitism Allegations

US President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, July 8, 2025. Photo: Kevin Lamarque via Reuters Connect.

The Trump administration escalated its showdown against Harvard University on Wednesday, reporting the institution to its accreditor for alleged civil rights violations resulting from its weak response to reports of antisemitic bullying, discrimination, and harassment following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 massacre across southern Israel.

The US Department of Education (DOE) announced the action on Wednesday. Citing Harvard’s admitted failure to treat antisemitism as seriously as it treated others forms of hatred in the past, the DOE called on the New England Commission of Higher Education to review and, potentially, revoke its accreditation — a designation which qualifies Harvard for federal funding and attests to the quality of the educational services its provides.

“Accrediting bodies play a significant role in preserving academic integrity and a campus culture conducive to truth seeking and learning,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Part of that is ensuring students are safe on campus and abiding by federal laws that guarantee educational opportunities to all students. By allowing anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination to persist unchecked on its campus, Harvard University has failed in its obligation to students, educators, and American taxpayers.”

The DOE, McMahon added, “expects the New England Commission of Higher Education to enforce its policies and practices, and to keep the Department fully informed of its efforts to ensure that Harvard is in compliance with federal law and accreditor standards.”

As previously reported by The Algemeiner, Harvard’s Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism has acknowledged that the university administration’s handling of campus antisemitism fell well below its obligations under both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its own nondiscrimination policies.

In a 300-plus-page report, the task force compiled a comprehensive record of antisemitic incidents on Harvard’s campus in recent years — from the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee’s endorsement of the Oct. 7 terrorist atrocities to an anti-Zionist faculty group’s sharing an antisemitic cartoon depicting Jews as murderers of people of color. The report identified Harvard’s past refusal to afford Jews the same protections against discrimination enjoyed by other minority groups as a key source of its problem.

Coming several weeks after President Donald Trump ordered the freeze of $2.26 billion in federal research grants and contracts for Harvard, the task force report found it was “clear” that antisemitism and anti-Israel bias have been fomented, practiced, and tolerated not only at Harvard but also within academia more widely.”

The university is now suing the federal government over the funding halt.

President Trump has spoken scathingly of Harvard, calling it, for example, an “Anti-Semitic, Far Left Institute … with students being accepted from all over the world that want to rip our Country apart” in an April post to his Truth Social platform.

In recent weeks, however, both Trump and McMahon had commended Harvard’s constructive response in negotiations over reforms the administration has asked it to implement as a precondition for restoring federal funds. The requested reforms include hiring more conservative faculty, shuttering diversity, equity, and inclusion [DEI] programs, and slashing the size of administrative offices tangential to the university’s central educational mission.

The administration has since changed its tone in the wake of a report by The Harvard Crimson that interim Harvard President Alan Garber has said “behind closed doors” that he has no intention of doing anything that would make Harvard more palatable to conservatives.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration’s Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism issued Harvard a formal “notice of violation” of civil rights law. Charging that Harvard willfully exposed Jewish students to a flood of racist and antisemitic abuse both in and outside of the classroom, it threatened to strip whatever remains of Harvard’s federal funding.

“Failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources and continue to affect Harvard’s relationship with the federal government,” wrote the federal officials comprising the multiagency Task Force. “Harvard may of course continue to operate free of federal privileges, and perhaps such an opportunity will spur a commitment to excellence that will help Harvard thrive once again.”

In Wednesday’s announcement, US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Harvard’s conduct “forfeits the legitimacy that accreditation is designed to uphold.”

“HHS and Department of Education will actively hold Harvard accountable through sustained oversight until it restores public trust and ensures a campus free of discrimination,” he said.

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.

The post Hardball: Trump Administration Reports Harvard to Accreditor Over Antisemitism Allegations first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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IDF Strikes Hezbollah Sites in South Lebanon as Terror Group Pushes to Rebuild Amid US Disarmament Talks

IDF operating in southern Lebanon. Photo: IDF Spokesperson

Israeli forces uncovered and destroyed Hezbollah weapons caches in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, as a new report indicated that despite ongoing U.S.-led efforts to secure a disarmament deal, the Iran-backed group is making repeated, largely concealed attempts to rebuild its military presence in the area.

Troops carried out several operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon on Wednesday morning, destroying weapons depots, explosives and multibarrel launchers concealed in forested terrain, the IDF said, in violation of the November ceasefire, which requires Hezbollah to withdraw its forces 20 miles from the Israeli border.

A new report released this week by the Alma Research and Education Center found that Hezbollah is focused on rebuilding in three areas: operational deployment, weapons acquisition, and financial recovery. 

“Hezbollah didn’t give up its resistance narrative and motivation,” Alma’s director, Lt. Col. (Res.) Sarit Zehavi, told The Algemeiner

“It wants to rebuild its capabilities and infrastructures, whether it’s the villages that will be used as human shields or the military infrastructure in South Lebanon and in Lebanon in general.”

According to Zehavi, Hezbollah is attempting to return Radwan fighters to positions south of the Litani River as part of a wider plan to restore its elite forces to operational readiness. The IDF on Monday killed Radwan commander Ali Abd al-Hassan Haidar in a targeted strike. The action came hours after US Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut to discuss a long-term deal that would include an Israeli withdrawal and complete disarmament of Hezbollah.

Barrack described the Lebanese response to the proposal as positive. Later, he issued a blunt warning to Hezbollah in response to a vow by the terror group’s leader, Naim Qassem, not to lay down its arms. “If they mess with us anywhere in the world, they will have a serious problem with us,” Barrack said in an interview with Lebanese news network LBCI. “They don’t want that.” 

Zehavi said it was premature to predict the outcome of the diplomatic efforts. She warned that the challenge of disarming Hezbollah remains enormous and emphasized that the Lebanese Armed Forces have not demonstrated the capability or willingness to confront the group.

“It’s too soon to be optimistic or pessimistic,” she said, noting that no firm commitments have emerged from the Beirut talks. 

Hezbollah’s efforts to smuggle and manufacture weapons have been complicated by both Israeli strikes and the regional realignment over recent months. While Israeli strikes have disrupted many supply routes, according to Zehavi, Syrian authorities have intercepted far more Hezbollah-bound weapons than the Lebanese Army, which claims to have uncovered 500 arms caches but has provided no evidence.

The financial front marks the third aspect of Hezbollah’s rebuilding effort. Last week, the group halted cash payments to Shiite civilians whose homes were damaged in the war, citing liquidity problems. Zehavi attributed the shortfall to disruptions in Iran’s funding networks — an outcome of the 12-day war against the regime in Tehran — and said the constraints would likely hamper Hezbollah’s ability to compensate its base and sustain operations. 

“I hope they will continue to have problems with the cash flow, that way it will be very difficult for them to recover,” she said.

The post IDF Strikes Hezbollah Sites in South Lebanon as Terror Group Pushes to Rebuild Amid US Disarmament Talks first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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