Hanukkah 2023

Your Online Guide for the Holiday

Hanukkah begins at sundown on December 7 and ends at nightfall on December 15.

 

All Service & Event Times Pacific

To add a listing for your congregation or organization, please contact Jim DiPeso at jimd@jewishinseattle.org.

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Bet Chaverim

Hanukkah Party: December 9, 4 pm. 

Chabad

Chanukah – Hanukkah 2023: The basics, how-tos, stories, videos, recipes, and things for kids.

Chabad of the Central Cascades

Chanukah on Ice: December 10, 3 pm – 5 pm, at Snoqualmie Ice Arena, Snoqualmie.

Grand Menorah Lightings: 
December 7, 6:30 pm, at Grant Ridge Plaza, Issaquah. Latkes, doughnuts, gelt, music, and arts and crafts.
December 14, 6:30 pm, downtown Issaquah, Front Street and Dogwood Street. Latkes, doughnuts, gelt, music, and arts and crafts.

Chabad of Bainbridge Island

Menorahs & Martinis: December 3m, 6:30 pm, location upon RSVP. A special women’s Menorah designing workshop. Together, we’ll design unique granite Menorahs while sipping martinis and indulging in Chanukah treats.

Chabad of Downtown Seattle & Chabad Young Professionals Seattle

Light Up the Night – Deli Fest: December 7, 5 pm, Westlake Park. Giant outdoor menorah lighting, mitzvah tank, doughnuts, gourmet sub sandwiches, hot latkes, music,  hot drinks.
 
The Chanukah Soirée: December 11, Supernova Seattle

Chabad Jewish Center of  Renton

Chanukah at the Landing: December 7, 5:45 pm, at The Landing, Renton. In a world so dark, let’s make light. There is nothing quite like the glow of the Menorah to make the world seem bright again. Join us as we light up Renton. Firetruck gelt drop, Fun Man Band comedy show, Chanukah character stilt walker, giant Menorah lighting, Chanukah treats, swag, music, and more.

Chabad Jewish Center of Shoreline

Kids Dreidel Workshop: December 3, 4 pm, at Home Depot, Aurora Village.

Public Menorah Lighting: December 10, 4:30 pm, at Shoreline City Hall. Giant, nine-foot Menorah, holiday swag, children’s craft, raffle and gifts, doughnuts and hot latkes, live music, grand gelt drop by Shoreline Fire Department ladder truck.

Chanukah Wine & Cheese Tasting: December 14, 7 pm.

Chabad Jewish Center of Snohomish County

Chanukah Celebration: December 10, 4 pm, at Lynnwood City Hall. Klez Giant menorah lighting. Katz Klezmer Band playing live. Chocolate gelt. Doughnuts. Balloon twisting. Menorah kits. Free admission, all welcome.

Chabad of Kirkland

Ladies Chanukkah Night Out: December 4, 7 pm. The Jewish Women’s Circle at Chabad of Kirkland presents a pre-Chanukkah gathering of Resin Mezuzah crafting, delicious holiday refreshments, fun gift exchange, and L’Chayim!

Chabad of Maple Valley

Second Annual Chanukah Festival: December 10, 4:30 pm – 6 pm, at Maple Valley Legacy Site. Zaniac Show, grand menorah lighting, live music, giant gelt drop, traditional food, crafts and fun. Free admission, all welcome.

Chabad of Mercer Island

Chanukah at Mercerdale Park: December 7, 5:15 pm. Launching the holiday toy drive,. Bring a toy to the lighting! Magic show, traditional  holiday treats, gifts for the children, live klezmer music, and more. Free, open to all.

Chabad of North Seattle

Lake Forest Park Menorah Lighting: December 7, 5 pm, at Town Center, Lake Forest Park. Doughnuts, music, hot drinks, unity and celebration.

Chabad of Pierce County Center for Jewish Life

Family Latke Cookoff: December 3, 2 pm, at Chabad of Pierce County. Can you make the winning latke? Join the Family Latke Cookoff and compete to create the winning potato pancake. Judged by Chef Jeff Slotnick and Chef Lloyd Cuppicia.

Chabad of Queen Anne-Magnolia

Public Menorah Lighting & Chanukah Carnival: December 7, 5 pm – 6:30 pm, corner of Crockett Street and Queen Anne Avenue. Giant Menorah lighting, dreidel on stilts performance, music, fire show, latkes, jelly doughnuts, cotton candy, dreidels glow-in-the-dark Menorah necklaces, and raffles for some amazing Chanukah gifts.

Chabad at University of Washington

Grand Menorah Lighting: December 7, 5 pm, at UW Red Square. Featuring a giant, W-shaped menorah made from solid ice! Live music, Chanukah-themed treats, and more.

Congregation Beth Hatikvah

Hanukkah Party: December 8, 6 pm – 7 pm, at CBH.

Congregation Beth Shalom

CBS Annual Fundraiser 5784 & Chanukah Celebration: December 9, 7 pm, at CBS. Join us for signature drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties), music by the Klez Katz, appetizers by Eli Lahav, silent auction, dancing, singing, and so much more.

Congregation Ezra Bessaroth

Chanukah Party: December 8, 6 pm – 9 pm, at Ezra Bessaroth. 

Congregation Olympic B’nai Shalom

Hanukkah Party: December 9, 4 pm.

Congregation Tikvah Chadashah

Hanukkah Candle Lighting and Movie Night: December 8, 6 pm, at private home. Discussion following the film.

Eastside Torah Center

Chanukah Live Performance: December 10, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, at Eastside Torah Center. Enjoy Simply Tzfat, a trio of talented Chassidic Israeli musicians in concert. Enjoy latkas and Miri’s homemade sufganiot, drinks, and snacks. $10/person.

Endless Opportunities

Chanukah Party! December 14, 10:30 am – 12m, at Temple B’nai Torah. The tradition returns! We’ll play dreidel, dance and sing to klezmer music, and eat sufganiyot. Co-sponsored by Older Adult Services at Jewish Family Service. Register.

Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation

Chanukah Party: December 10, 5 pm – 6 pm. Mark your calendars for this year’s Herzl-Ner Tamid Chanukah Party, where we will gather as a community to celebrate and light the candles. Join us for sufganiyot, latkes, hot chocolate, fun activities, and live music with Josh Niehaus. Bring your hanukkiah and five candles to light the night with us. All are encouraged to wear your best Hanukkah-themed clothing.

Hillel at UW/Jconnect Seattle

Latkepalooza: December 14, 7 pm – 11 pm. Join Jconnect, the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, and The Tribe at Temple De Hirsch Sinai for a joyous and bright Hanukkah party! With a latke bar, DJ, and bar with alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, it’s the place to be for the last night of Hanukkah. Wear your most fun and festive Hanukkah apparel. We’ll kick off with a candle lighting, then party into the night! Tickets: $25/person until December 8, $36 afterward.

JDC

Celebrate Chanukah with Your Global Jewish Family: December 7, 4 pm, online. It’s never been more important for Jews around the world to come together and celebrate our strength, resilience, and light. Join us for A Great Miracle Happened Here, a global Chanukah experience celebrating the light of humanity. Join our host, acclaimed chef Adeena Sussman, author of more than 14 cookbooks, including Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals from My Table to Yours, as she cooks a scrumptious Chanukah treat and leads us through the festivities. Then, hear some holiday classics from Tony Award-winning singer and actor Ari’el Stachel, renowned for his role in Broadway’s The Band’s Visit. To top it all off, light your menorah alongside members of your Jewish family in Israel.
Register.

Jewish Family Service

Chanukah Gift Bags: December 3, two shifts, 10 am – 11:30 am and 12 pm – 1:30 pm. Help us create and deliver Chanukah gift bags to members of the Seattle community, with support from the Tina B. Novick Jewish Holiday Basket Endowment Fund. Sign up for a shift that includes gift bag making, community education, and delivery here.
 
Make Cards for the Holiday: We’re collecting handmade cards to include in our Chanukah gift bags. Create your own cards or print and decorate from this PDF with as much creativity and color as possible. We love to see Happy Chanukah messages and drawings, but we ask that you don’t sign your name or include any personal information on the cards. Get us your cards by November 27, so we can include them in our bags. You may drop them off at JFS during office hours, Monday-Friday, 10 am – 1 pm and 2 pm – 5 pm, or mail them.

Jewish Together

Light, Might, and Beyond – Chanukah and Meaning-Making in 2023: December 7, 10 am – 11 am, on Zoom. Chanukah has been called “a type of holy Rorschach test.” The story and rituals of this holiday have many different meanings depending on how you look at them. Join dynamic Jewish educator Abby Eisenberg to explore the development of Chanukah and how its various messages have evolved over time. We’ll analyze historical, religious, and liturgical texts and, in doing so, attempt to determine if there is one dominant theme of the holiday or if Chanukah can truly be based on multiple – perhaps conflicting – themes. We’ll aim to glean meaning that resonates with each of us, for the holiday, for this year, and beyond. Sponsored by The Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Kol Ami: A Center for Jewish Life

(All events at Kol Ami: A Center for Jewish Life)
Love, Light, & Latkes – A Hanukkah Dinner: December 8, 6 pm – 7:15 pm. Come have some freshly cooked latkes with all the toppings and more, prepared by Zylberschtein’s. $25/person, $10/ages 10 and under.
 
Bright Blessings – A Hanukkah Service: December 8, 7:30 pm – 8:30  pm. Join Rabbi Kinberg for a service of Hanukkah blessings. Bring your menorah and light it up with the rest of the Kol Ami community.

Kol HaNeshamah

Gelt-y Pleasures Speakeasy & Chanukah Cabaret: December 9, 8 pm, at Kol HaNeshamah. Join us for delectable eats, craft cocktails, and a spectacular lineup of performances while we celebrate Chanukah and amplify Jewish joy. Register.
 
Pop-Up Chanukah: December 10, 5 pm, at Junction Plaza Park. Love! Light! Doughnuts! Our beloved Chanukah tradition is back again. Join us at the Junction for songs, donuts, community and light in the long dark!
 
A Chanukah Healing Gathering: December 13, 7 pm – 8:30 pm, at 6038 S. Pilgrim St, Seattle. Join Orin Reynolds and Project Kol Chadash for an immersive experience of reconnection and healing with a guided meditative journey through the body using Jewish music, nigunim, and focused readings.

PJ Library®

Celebrate Hanukkah with PJ Library and Seattle Jewish Community School: December 9, 6 pm, at SJCS. This year, with all that is going on in Israel and the Jewish community worldwide, bring  in the light of Hanukkah by coming together with our partner, SJCS, to enjoy warm beverages and Hanukkah doughnuts and to light the Hanukkah candles in community.
 
A Very Yummy Hanukkah: December 16, 9:30 am – 11:30 am, at Temple Beth Am. Come for a bonus day of Hanukkah celebration! Join in a family-friendly Hanukkah Shabbat & Sing-Along, then decorate your own Hanukkah cookies with kits from local Jewish delicatessen Zylberschtein’s. As a way to spread the light and joy of Hanukkah, help do a mitzvah for someone in need: Bring a non-perishable food item or two to be donated to Jewish Family Service.

Seattle Jewish Chorale

The Unshaken Flame: December 10, 3 pm, at Temple Beth Am. Seattle Jewish Chorale presents its Hanukkah concert, with a vibrant list of songs about resilience, hope, and community. $25 adults, $18 students and seniors.  Tickets.

Secular Jewish Circle of Puget Sound

SJC Hanukkah Celebration 5784: December 9, 5 pm – 8 pm, location upon RSVP. Join us for the Secular Jewish Circle of Puget Sound annual Hanukkah Celebration! We will gather together for a potluck, latkes, dreidels, candle-lighting, songs, and socializing. Please bring a potluck dish or drink to share if you wish (please label your food with full ingredient list). Feel free to bring Hanukkah menorah and four candles – three for the Third Night of Hanukkah and one for the shammash candle – and a lighter. Bring your favorite Hanukkah songs to sing! We look forward to seeing you and your family and friends at our holiday gathering! Register.

Sephardic Bikur Holim

Light Up the Night Hanukah Party: December 13, 5:30 pm – 7 pm, at Sephardic Bikur Holim.

Stroum Jewish Community Center

(All events at the Stroum JCC unless otherwise indicated.)
Six13 Hanukkah Concerts: Two shows December 3, 1 pm and 4:30 pm, at the J and livestreamed. Join the J and Seattle Hebrew Academy for an amazing a cappella Hanukkah concert from the Six13s. Plus, Hanukkah crafts and a Six13-led beatbox workshop before the show, and opening performances by SHA and Early Childhood School students. Juxtaposing traditional and contemporary music, Six13 is anchored by a strong Jewish identity, fueled by soulful harmonies, intricate arrangements, and their signature dynamic, full-band-like sound.

Community Hanukkah Dinner: December 8, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm. Celebrate the Second Night of Hanukkah with a delicious Shabbat dinner and Hanukkah party! Dinner includes traditional latkes, kugel, and more from Nourish Catering. We’ll also light the menorah, sing holiday songs, enjoy Hanukkah stories and crafts, snack on chocolate gelt, take photos in the selfie station, and more. Join us in shining a light on antisemitism to dispel the darkness this Hanukkah. Open to families of all ages. In partnership with OneTable, Shine a Light, and the Holocaust Center for Humanity. Thank you to our catering partner, Nourish Catering. $75 family price (two adults and up to three children), $25 for individuals. Tickets.

Helping Hands: Through December 8. Join the J’s Mitzvah Corps and Jewish Family Service to spread light to families in need by donating gifts and household items. Visit the lobby for more information.

Hanukkah Cookie Decorating: December 10, 3 pm-4:30 pm. Stop by the Stroum JCC for a classic Hanukkah tradition, decorating Hanukkah-shaped cookies! There will be different colors of icing, tasty toppings, and Hanukkah storytime. $10.

Hanukkah Concert at the Royal Room: December 12, 7 pm – 10 pm, at the Royal Room in Seattle. Join the J Culture Club for a curated Hanukkah concert with three great bands, The Music of John Zorn’s Masada, The Klein Party, and the Kesselgarden Klezmer Duo. Advance tickets only available online. Seating first-come, first-served; arrive early to guarantee a seat.

Hands-on Hanukkah: December 14, 3 pm – 6 pm. The Stroum JCC is bringing Hanukkah to you! Join us at the J for Hanukkah crafts and holiday fun.

StandWithUs Northwest

Diwali & Hanukkah Festivals of Light: December 9, 5 pm – 10 pm. Join StandWithUs Northwest, WASITRAC, BAPS Temple Redmond, Kent Hindu Temple, and members of the Indian diaspora for a spectacular community celebration honoring the seasonal festivals of light: Diwali, Hanukkah, and Christmas. Seattle-area residents of diverse backgrounds are coming together to celebrate Diwali & Hanukkah, the festivals of light. People from all ethnic backgrounds and cultures are invited to share in the joy of the season, to learn about different traditions, and to get to know each other better.

This festive gathering is inspired by the dance and traditions of Garba & Dandiya, and shall commence with a warm welcome by leaders across our communities. Together we will illuminate the darkness by lighting the Diwali Diyas and Hanukkah candles. We will explain the meaning of these traditions while celebrating the triumph of good over evil and building new relationships.
 
Members of the Hindu and Indian diaspora, Jews, Christians, and all peoples of diverse backgrounds are invited to join us. Featuring a delicious kosher Indian dinner. Register.

Temple Beth Am

Community Hanukkah Celebration: December 9, 4:30 pm.

Temple Beth El

(All events at Temple Beth El unless otherwise indicated.)
Community Latke Fry (Sponsored by Sisterhood):
December 3, 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm.

Shabbat Hanukkah Dinner: December 8, 5 pm – 6:30 pm.

Keshet Q Annual Hanukkah Party: December 9, 5:30 pm – 7 pm, at private home.
 
Community Hanukkah Celebration: December 10, 12 pm – 2 pm. Featuring a latke contest, the Golden Snail prize, and a Hebrew High fundraiser.

Temple Beth Hatfiloh

Hanukkah Party!: December 10, 6 pm – 9 pm. Hanukkah Sameach! We are celebrating with our annual party, including latkes, crafts for the kids, and menorah lighting with songs. Latke makers, craft helpers, and setup volunteers needed, no experience necessary.

Temple Beth Or

Hanukkah Party – Just for the Grownups: December 9, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm. Our TBO Saturday evening Hanukkah party will include jelly doughnut filling, olive oil tasting, and latke making with a latke toppings bar. Must be 21 or older to attend. You are invited to bring your own hanukkiyah and candles to light. During this festival of light, we are called upon to bring light into the dark through gifts of tzedakah; please consider bringing new warm winter socks which we will donate to Cocoon House.

Temple B’nai Torah

Chanukah Latke Dinner: December 8, 7:15 pm – 9 pm. Celebrate Chanukah at TBT! We’ll start the evening with our family friendly Shabbat service at 6:30 pm, followed by dinner. The Sisterhood of TBT will be preparing a delicious Chanukah meal of brisket, latkes, and other yumminess as we join together for the second candle lighting to celebrate Chanukah and Shabbat as a community. Please bring your menorah and candles if you’d like to join in the lighting together. We will sing some favorite Chanukah songs and play dreidel as we celebrate. This event is for TBT members of any age as we join together to share our light at this darkest time of the year. 

Temple De Hirsch Sinai

Celebrate Chanukah with Nefesh L’Nefesh: December 9, 3 pm, at Temple De Hirsch Sinai, Bellevue Campus. Nefesh L’Nefesh is a new group at Temple De Hirsch Sinai supporting families navigating cognitive and memory challenges. Our goal is to provide a community of care, support, and hope for those in need. Please join us for our first community gathering, as we celebrate Chanukah with food, music, candle-lighting, and good company. Please RSVP by December 6.
 
Lights, Love, & Latkes: A Chanukah/Havdalah Celebration: December 9, 5 pm – 7 pm, at the Bellevue campus. A family-friendly evening that will you a “latke” talk about. Join us for Havdalah, Chanukah candle lighting and singalong. Latke dinner. Red Fish Blue Fish photo booth, Clownbuggie Entertainment tattoo airbrushing. Movement and light room. Games, crafts, sweet treats, and more. All ages welcome. Member registration available through  December 6. Guest registration available by completing the registration form for addition to the waitlist. We will notify you December 7 if space is available.

Town Hall Seattle

Global Rhythms: The Klezmatics Hanukkah Dance Party: December 7, 7:30 pm, at Town Hall on Eighth Avenue. Immerse yourself in the vibrant and eclectic sounds of the globally renowned Klezmer superstars, The Klezmatics. On the First Night of Hanukkah, Town Hall Seattle will come alive with the soul-stirring melodies and foot-stomping rhythms that have earned The Klezmatics a Grammy award and a place in the hearts of music lovers worldwide.
Pre-Show Food and Beverages: 6 pm. Before the show, Zylberschtein’s Delicatessen & Bakery will join us with flavorful Jewish deli dishes. The folk fiddle duo Varda will set the mood with live music in the lobby.

Zylberschtein’s Delicatessen & Bakery

Hanukkah Menu: Zylberschtein’s has released its Hanukkah menu! Latkes, brisket, sufganiyot, and much more! Plan ahead and and place your pre-order to help you celebrate the Festival of Lights.
 
Hanukkah Celebration: December 15, 3 pm – 5 pm. Zylberschtein’s will host a Hanukkah celebration outdoors on the last day of Hanukkah. We will be selling hot latkes, matzo ball soup, and sufganiyot. At sundown, we will light the menorah.