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A Great
Miracle Happened There
Chanukah, which always falls on the
twenty-fifth of Kislev according to the Jewish Calendar, is usually held during the month
of December. The Hebrew meaning of Chanukah is Dedication and Shamash is Servant.
Chanukah is a eight-day holiday which celebrates the Jewish people
defeating the Syrian-Greek armies and reclaiming the Temple in Jerusalem. After cleaning
the Temple which was overgrown with vines and weeds, they finished their work on the
twenty-fifth of Kislev. As they gathered to light the menorah, however, they could only
find one small jar of pure olive oil which would last only one day. To their surprise,
however, the oil burned and burned for eight days and nights until they could produce more
oil. Thus, the eight-day long Chanukah holiday.
 One of the most popular Chanukah
pastimes in playing the Dreidel game. It is a form of an old German gambling game, and its
name derives from the German word for 'top'. The stakes are decidedly low-key during
Chanukah, however, with players betting their fortune in chocolates (pelts), pennies or
nuts. The top has four sides, each marked with a Hebrew letter: Nun, Shin, Gimel, Hay. the
letters also stand for the words Nes Gadol Haya Sham or A Great Miracle
Happened There! (or here)
When you spin and land on these letters:
 Nun - you
don't get anything at all
 Shin -
you must put an item in the pot
 Gimel -
you're a winner, take the whole pot!
 Hay -
scoop up half of the items
| HOLIDAY RECIPE
Sufganiyot
Israeli Jelly Doughnuts
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
4 tablespoons sugar, plus sugar for rolling
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
21/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 egg folks
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons softened butter at room temperature
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
Plum, strawberry or apricot jam
Mix the yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar in milk then
leave alone for 10 minutes. In the meantime, sift the flour, put it on a cutting board,
and make a well in the center. Pour the yeast mixture into the well, add the egg yolks,
salt, cinnamon, and the remaining sugar. Knead well. Then, work the butter into the
mixture and knead until the dough is elastic. Cover and let rise overnight in the
refrigerator.
Sprinkle a little flour on a board. Roll the dough out to 1/8 inch
with a drinking glass, cut the dough into rounds about 2 inches in diameter. Cover and let
rise for 15 minutes alone.
With your hands, form the founds of dough into balls. Insert 1
teaspoon of jam into each and cover completely.
Pour 2 inches of oil into an electric frying pan and heat to 375
degrees. Gently drop the doughnuts into the oil, 4 or 5 at a time, turning when brown.
Drain on paper towels. When slightly cooled, roll in sugar and serve immediately. Makes
about 24 doughnuts. |
JDCC
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