So, You're This Year's Chanukah Parent...Sharing Chanukah in the Classroom

December 2023

By Lisa Garfinkle, JFGC Operations and Projects Manager

So you’re the designated “Chanukah parent” at your child’s school – Congratulations! Your child is one of the only, (or maybe the only) Jewish children in their class, and among the “winter” celebrations, “holiday” concerts, or even “Christmas” parties, the teacher asked you to come in and teach the class about Chanukah. This is a great oppor tunity to share your Hanukkah traditions with teachers and stu dents who may not otherwise know about them. If the idea makes you nervous, however, take a deep breath, relax, and get ready to have some fun, because the Center for Jewish Education and PJ Library Charlotte have your back!

The Levine-Sklut Judaic Library at the Center for Jewish Education on Shalom Park has Chanukah Toolkits available to check out, containing everything you need to teach about Chanu kah in a preschool or elementary classroom. Filled with dreidels, gelt, a menorah, candles, Cha nukah storybooks, and fun ac tivities, these kits have everything a Chanukah parent needs for a fun time in the classroom. This year, they even include a classroom set of dreidels and gelt, so that each child can go home with a treat!

The PJ Library website is another great source of Chanukah information, book recommen dations, and activities. It has a great blog post about sharing Hanukkah at school as well as “The Ultimate List of Books About Hanukkah,” kid-friendly recipes, craft projects, and more. Visit pjlibrary.org/Hanukkah for a wealth of helpful resources.

And finally, here are a few tips from experienced Chanukah parents:

- Find out from the teacher how long your visit will be and how many children will be there – there’s nothing worse than planning for a class of 20 and showing up to find the whole grade waiting for you!

- Get the teacher’s approval for your plans, particularly if they involve food or lighting candles.

- Latkes are always a hit, and you can get them pre-made from a local restaurant or caterer or buy them frozen at Trader Joe’s and heat them up before you go to the school.

- Donut holes are an easier alternative to latkes.

- To play the dreidel game (also always a hit), divide the class into groups of four or five and bring dried beans or pony beads for the kids to play with.

A dreidel with the letters in Hebrew and English and a set of instructions for each group makes things much easier. And if there’s somebody in each group who already knows how to play, you’re golden.

- Make sure you’ve read through any book you plan to share several times before you read it to the class.

- Ask your child what they want their classmates to know and let them help you share the holiday, if they’re comfortable doing so.

- Especially in public schools, parents may be uncomfortable bringing the religious aspects of Chanukah into the classroom. If that’s the case, show a menorah and talk about how you light it, but don’t light the candles or say the blessings; choose a book without religious references — or skip over them; focus on religious freedom, light in the dark days of winter, food and games – rather than particular religious beliefs and practices.

- You may be invited to come in at a time that is before or after Chanukah, depending on where the holiday falls in relation to Christmas. That’s fine, but don’t let them think Chanukah is Jewish Christmas!

Check out the PJ Library website, reserve your Chanukah Toolkit at the Levine-Sklut Judaic Library (quantities are limited) and enjoy your time as the Chanukah parent!