Deciding on a Hanukkah destination can be challenging. There’s the Hanukkah River Barge cruise experience in San Antonio, the National Menorah Lighting in Washington D.C., and the Hanukkah Celebration & Car Menorah Parade in Florida’s Space Coast, just to name a few destination contenders. But after tough contemplation, we’ve decided there’s only one ultimate place to go celebrate Hanukkah – New York City.
New York City celebrates the festival of lights in a big way – starting with two competing boroughs, Brooklyn and Manhattan, for the World’s Largest Menorah. For years, Brooklyn’s Largest Menorah stood approximately 32-feet high. But they finally lost the title for World’s Largest Menorah in 2019, when the Guinness Book of World Records awarded the title to the Lubavitch menorah in Manhattan. As the most colossal candleholder, the menorah stands at a total of 36-feet high in Grand Army Plaza, weighs 4,000 pounds and was designed by the Israeli artist, Yaakov Agam. With evening lightings set to light up the darkness, and brighten up the holiday, this menorah is worth visiting.
One of our favorite foods during Hanukkah is the latke. These potato pancakes are meant to symbolize the miracle of Hanukkah, and they’re quite tasty, too. If you love latkes as much as we do, go check out the Latke Festival, one of the most unique and delicious holiday tasting events. The event celebrates the most creative potato pancakes in Manhattan, with past latke winners including the Okonomiyaki Latke (Japanese-style octopus potato pancake topped with sweet soy sauce, mayonnaise, and bonito flakes) and the Russian Latke (smoked white fish and potato latke with horseradish sour cream and caviar). We can definitely guarantee these will be one-of-a-kind latkes you’ve never had before!
Finally, there are two museums you have to visit during Hanukkah in New York City, with the kids. The first is the Jewish Museum. With the Hanukkah Hunt Gallery Program the museum welcome families to explore menorah from around the world. Kids can draw their discoveries, experiment with whimsical shapes, and touch replicas of artifacts. In addition, the Jewish Children’s Museum in Brooklyn hosts a Hanukkah Family Festival. Discover the art of olive oil making in an interactive workshop, explore the museums unique exhibits, and create a Hanukkah mural on a menorah.
There are so many more activities you can do in New York City during the Hanukkah holiday season, from more festivals in the surrounding boroughs, to visiting and supporting local businesses celebrating the holiday. Whatever activity you choose, we have no doubt the festival of lights will shine new memories in New York City, the best Hannukah destination.
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