How 3 Families Celebrate Hanukkah at Home
See the personalized touches these Northern California families bring to the Jewish Festival of Lights
Hanukkah is a holiday that’s celebrated at home with family and friends. On each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, which this year begins December 6 and ends December 14, Jewish families will gather to light the menorah, spend time together, and enjoy foods like latkes and sufganiyah, or round jelly doughnuts, that traditionally are part of the celebration. Small gifts, gelt (chocolate coins) and dreidels are also a part of the festivities.
Here we take a peek into the homes of three families in the San Francisco Bay Area and see how they celebrate Hanukkah. In past years, the three families — the Forneys, the Goldfarbs and the Kleins — gathered at one another’s homes for the holiday. But as the families have grown, new traditions have emerged and each family today has its own celebration.
Here we take a peek into the homes of three families in the San Francisco Bay Area and see how they celebrate Hanukkah. In past years, the three families — the Forneys, the Goldfarbs and the Kleins — gathered at one another’s homes for the holiday. But as the families have grown, new traditions have emerged and each family today has its own celebration.
This gold menorah was a gift and is reserved for times when the Goldfarbs have company during Hanukkah. “When we celebrate Hanukkah, we usually have half the nights with family or friends — at least two or three parties with multiple people — and we usually have some with just our immediate family,” Miranda says. “We often do something big on the last night, at least with my parents. We usually have a party during the weekend, which could be any night of Hanukkah.”
For most Hanukkah nights, the Goldfarb children light their own menorah. “We don’t mind as much when the wax melts over it,” Miranda says. The Goldfarb children are known for keeping spirits high with their special songs and dance. “The dreidel dance and the other songs are a tradition from my family. We always sing three songs, along with the prayers: the traditional Hanukkah song Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah, a song called On This Night we always sang growing up and the Dreidel Song,” she says. “My brother and I always did it growing up at our big family Hanukkah party.”
Eleven-year-old Eliana was born the day before Hanukkah started, and when she was less than a week old, the couple brought her to Miranda’s family’s Hanukkah party. Yeshayah put her on a spinning disk, like a lazy Susan, and spun her around to the Dreidel Song.
Eleven-year-old Eliana was born the day before Hanukkah started, and when she was less than a week old, the couple brought her to Miranda’s family’s Hanukkah party. Yeshayah put her on a spinning disk, like a lazy Susan, and spun her around to the Dreidel Song.
Ezra, left, and Eliana, right, hold their personalized latke plate. While many Hanukkah plates are store-bought, several years ago the family created something special to them. “For parties, we make latkes with sour cream and applesauce,” Miranda says. “Yeshayah makes awesome latkes. They are known by many as the best latkes! Maybe because he includes lots of onions and makes sure they are very flat and crispy — rather than chunkier and soft in the middle.
“When we go to my mom’s house, our kids make Hanukkah cookies with sugar cookie dough that she makes ahead of time, Hanukkah cookie cutters and lots of sprinkles,” Miranda adds. “We usually serve the latkes with roast chicken and a big salad. But we don’t eat them every night.”
“When we go to my mom’s house, our kids make Hanukkah cookies with sugar cookie dough that she makes ahead of time, Hanukkah cookie cutters and lots of sprinkles,” Miranda adds. “We usually serve the latkes with roast chicken and a big salad. But we don’t eat them every night.”
Forney family: Berkeley, California
Who lives here: Alford, Daniella, Olivia, 12, Elijah, 11, Noa, 6, Forney
Over the last decade, the Forneys have amassed an impressive collection of dreidels from around the world. Some come from as far away as India and parts of Asia.
“As a blended interfaith family, we celebrate Christmas as well, so we share each other’s family traditions and have blended the holidays into a Christmukkah celebration,” Daniella says. “One of our favorite traditions is playing a big family game of dreidel using M&Ms.”
Who lives here: Alford, Daniella, Olivia, 12, Elijah, 11, Noa, 6, Forney
Over the last decade, the Forneys have amassed an impressive collection of dreidels from around the world. Some come from as far away as India and parts of Asia.
“As a blended interfaith family, we celebrate Christmas as well, so we share each other’s family traditions and have blended the holidays into a Christmukkah celebration,” Daniella says. “One of our favorite traditions is playing a big family game of dreidel using M&Ms.”
A new addition to the Forneys Hanukkah tradition is Moshe or Mench on a Bench — their answer to Elf on a Shelf.
What has always been a mainstay during Hanukkah for Daniella’s family are schnitzels. “My family loves them, so we usually have that along with the our latkes,” she says.
What has always been a mainstay during Hanukkah for Daniella’s family are schnitzels. “My family loves them, so we usually have that along with the our latkes,” she says.
Noa has been too young to light the menorah herself, so her mom, Daniella, found a solution with a felt menorah. “It’s been just as important to ‘light’ the felt menorah as a real one,” Daniella says. The family has five menorahs, one for each family member. During the holiday, the Forneys usually have family and friends over on the first or last night.
Klein family: San Francisco, California
Who lives here: David, Le and Khai, 5, Klein
Khai carefully places the
shamus candle into her family’s menorah, a gift from her grandmother Susan Klein.
Who lives here: David, Le and Khai, 5, Klein
Khai carefully places the
shamus candle into her family’s menorah, a gift from her grandmother Susan Klein.
Khai’s father, David, retells the story of Hanukkah to Khai, explaining the importance of the holiday and why the family celebrates the miracle of light.
“My in-laws are the host masters when it comes to Hanukkah parties for the family. They’re famous for their food spread, their Hanukkah decor and, well, everything — even their miniature schnauzer, Yofi, gets into the spirit and dresses up with a dreidel collar,” Le says. David and Le are hosting everyone for the first time at their house on the last night of Hanukkah this year. “I’m excited to share new traditions from our young family with them,” she says. “We’re starting by making sufganiyah (jelly doughnuts) from scratch and unveiling our Hanukkah tree.”
“My in-laws are the host masters when it comes to Hanukkah parties for the family. They’re famous for their food spread, their Hanukkah decor and, well, everything — even their miniature schnauzer, Yofi, gets into the spirit and dresses up with a dreidel collar,” Le says. David and Le are hosting everyone for the first time at their house on the last night of Hanukkah this year. “I’m excited to share new traditions from our young family with them,” she says. “We’re starting by making sufganiyah (jelly doughnuts) from scratch and unveiling our Hanukkah tree.”
The Kleins have put a spin on how they give out presents during Hanukkah. Their “Hanukkah tree” holds cards with numbers that correspond with the presents given to Khai during the holiday. “Growing up, my parents gave my brother Joshua and I ‘share’ presents. I think they were more gestural, and the intent was to encourage us to play and be together,” David says. “This stuck with me, and now my wife and I opt to give Khai more experiences than gifts during Hanukkah, like visits to the S.F. Zoo or the Exploratorium.”
Ribbons of blue and silver cover gifts, the number of bands matching the cards that hang from the tree. Le says, “I thought it’ll be a playful way for Khai to match numbers and objects as she just started kindergarten, but also I like to think that the tree is our take on the Hanukkah bush.”
Show us: How do you celebrate Hanukkah at home with your family? Share photos and tell us about your traditions in the Comments section.
More: Browse decorating and DIY ideas in the Houzz Hanukkah section
Show us: How do you celebrate Hanukkah at home with your family? Share photos and tell us about your traditions in the Comments section.
More: Browse decorating and DIY ideas in the Houzz Hanukkah section
Who lives here: Yeshayah Goldfarb and Miranda Thorman, Eliana, 11, and Ezra, 7, Goldfarb
Blue and while dreidels in matching bowls are placed around the Goldfarb home.