Hanukkah, 2nd Edition: The Family Guide to Spiritual Celebration (The Art of Jewish Living) [Paperback]

Ron Wolfson (Author), Joel Lurie Grishaver (Editor), Harold M. Schulweis (Preface)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2001 | Series: Art of Jewish Living Series

This newly-designed, easy-to-use edition of a classic spiritual sourcebook offers updated information, more family ideas, and new resources for every aspect of your holiday celebration.

Information on every aspect of Hanukkah is covered, including:

• The story of Hanukkah
• Celebrating--for families of every constellation
• Songs and prayers in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish (with clear transliterations)
• Recipes for traditional and modern Hanukkah foods
• "December Dilemmas"--coping with other traditions' celebrations

Firsthand explanations and ideas from real-life families around America

Hands-on advice and practical suggestions invite families into Hanukkah's spirituality and joys, from the making of luscious latkes and Hanukkah crafts to the stories of the heroism and the miracle that are remembered every year with the lighting of the hanukkiyah.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This comprehensive guide to Hanukkah, now in its second edition, will be appreciated by countless Jewish families seeking creative and memorable ways to celebrate the holiday. It opens with Wolfson's nostalgic foreword about Hanukkahs past, recounting how the experience of growing up Jewish in Omaha, Nebraska, helped him to articulate and understand his faith-and how he has sought, through the observance of Hanukkah, to pass on that identity to his children. What follows is a fine and resourceful manual about all aspects of the celebration, including recipes, crafts, gifts, games, prayers, decorations and songs. There are even corny Hanukkah jokes ("oil's well that ends well") and whole chapters on food: "If it is a real Jewish event, it involves food," Wolfson tells us. Especially helpful is a section offering parents suggestions to help their children understand the "December Dilemmas" of Hanukkah and Christmas.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Dr. Ron Wolfson is the William and Freda Fingerhut Assistant Professor of Education, the director of the Whizin Center for the Jewish Future, and vice president of the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. He is co-founder of Synagogue 2000, an institute for envisioning the synagogue of the twenty-first century. Wolfson is also the author of The Art of Jewish Living: The Shabbat Seder; The Art of Jewish Living: The Passover Seder; and A Time to Mourn, A Time to Comfort: A Guide to Jewish Bereavement and Comfort (all Jewish Lights). He celebrates Hanukkah in Encino, California, with his wife, Susie, and their two children, Havi and Michael.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing; 2 edition (November 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580231225
• ISBN-13: 978-1580231220
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,457,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A native of Omaha, Nebraska, I earned my Ph.D. in Education from Washington University in St. Louis and the MA in Jewish Studies from the University of Judaism. I am the Fingerhut Professor of Education at American Jewish University in Los Angeles, the Co-President of Synagogue 3000, and a member of the Consortium for the Future of the Jewish Family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "Everything" Hanukkah Guide Book, November 22, 2002

By 

Jane P. Mcnally (Boston MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hanukkah, 2nd Edition: The Family Guide to Spiritual Celebration (The Art of Jewish Living) (Paperback)

This book is now in its second edition. Perhaps the thing I liked most about this book is that its format, like others in the series (Shabbat Seder, Passover Seder, Death and Mourning) is heavily comprised of pictorial interviews with real families. People express their hopes, difficulties and successes in learning to celebrate each of the Jewish Festivals featured in each of the respective books. The book also discusses ways in which real families have dealt with interfaith issues and extended families at the time of year when most Americans are celebrating Christmas. When you've finished reading this book, you know a great deal about both the history and about the nitty-gritty and creative "how-to" of the Festival of Hanukkah.