Children and parents learn about Hanukkah

It was not the typical story hour Wednesday afternoon at Western Pocono Community Library.

Instead, it was a Hanukkah party to teach the dozen children and their parents about the Jewish holiday that means “dedication.”

The holiday, also known as the Festival of Lights, includes feasting, games and gifts.

“There was a nasty King Antiochus, who told his people they could no longer go to their temple, light their candles, or study the torah. They could only bow down to him,” Norma Krasne-Levine, from Congregation B’nai Harim in Pocono Pines, said as she read a book and showed the illustrations to the children.

While the king went to the temple to destroy it, the people fled to the hills to hide and practice their religion.

Judah Maccabee encouraged them to stand up for themselves and their beliefs. He led a small army of Jewish soldiers during a three-year revolt against the Greek-Syrian oppressors.

When Maccabee and his soldiers won, they returned to the temple to clean it up and relight their menorah, a seven-branch oil lamp.

A little boy ran around town trying to find oil. He returned with only a small amount expected to last a day. Instead, it burned for eight whole days, said Krasne-Levine.

Today, the nine-branch Hanukkah candleholder is more commonly used. There is one branch for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah and one for the Shamash, which is the helper candle.

This year, Hanukkah starts on the evening of Dec. 12 with the lighting of the first candle. The eighth candle is lit on Dec. 20.

After Krasne-Levine finished the story book, she taught the children “The Dreidel Song,” in which they followed her lead and twirled around the rug.

Afterward, they got to taste traditional Hanukkah foods, including potato latkes served with a dollop of sour cream and a container of applesauce.

“I enjoy reaching out to the community,” said Honi Gruenberg, who made the latkes and has been one of Krasne-Levine’s helpers for a couple years.

Five years ago, Krasne-Levine, who has a Ph.D. in multiethnic education, went to local libraries to see if she could host this Hanukkah story time. Library staff loved the idea.

This is the second year the event was held at Western Pocono Community Library.

Library Director Carol Kern called the event “outstanding.”

Krasne-Levine said there are a total of seven Hanukkah story time locations this year, including the YMCA in Stroudsburg and The Friendly Community Center in Cresco.

The last activity of the day involved each child folding and decorating a bag for their Hanukkah gifts to take home — a small plastic dreidel and gelt, which is a bag of thin chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil.

Gelt also refers to money given to charity.