Hanukkah Paper Dreidel
Ages 4 and up
Hanukkah Sameach! While Hanukkah began on Dec 10th, there are still 4 days left to celebrate! Hanukkah is a Jewish celebration of a miracle that happened long ago. In 168 BCE, Greek invaders had taken over a temple in Jerusalem. According to the story, the temple was recaptured by a Jewish group called the Macabees. As part of reclaiming the temple, the Macabees lit a lamp. It looked like there would only be enough oil to keep the lamp lit for 1 day, but the menorah stayed lit for 8 nights! That’s why Jewish families now celebrate Hanukkah for 8 nights.
As part of this celebration families light candles within their own Menorah. They light a candle each night until all 8 candles are lit. They also eat good food, visit and play the dreidel. The dreidel is a top, with four sides that are labelled “nun, gimel, hey, shin” which represents the phrase “Nes gadol haya shaam” which means “A miracle has occurred there.” Let’s make our own dreidel so we can see how the game is played!
