All of the Lights (Part II)

Chanukah in Israel is something special. Delicious sufganeyot (filled with pistaccio cream, chocolate and halfa, or the traditional strawberry jelly) are popped out by bakeries and sold in corner stores; chanukiyas in glass boxes line the streets and larger ones consume the central squares; and Chanukah parties are all the rage, from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv and beyond.

There is a communal sense of it all. The miracle is really publicized it, and you can really feel it. The Chanukah spirit is in the air. Much like when I saw throngs of people, the masses, migrating towards to Old City of Jerusalem during Sukkot, Chanukah in Israel makes me nostalgic. It makes me think of how it must have been the last time we held Jerusalem.... and how Chanukah, anywhere else in the world, could never quite compare.

My Chanukiya, Bought at the Artists' Market in Tel Aviv

Chanukah Kid's Party at a Bakery in Tel Aviv; Please Note the DJ

First Night Lighting, Tel Aviv

Sufganiyot (Oily Doughnuts) for Sale at the Bodega in Tel Aviv (Look Closely)

Chanukiya in a Box... Outside on of My Favorite Buildings on One of My Favorite Streets in Jerusalem

Chanukiya in Kikar Tzion, One of the Main Squares in Downtown Jerusalem

Close Up from the Second Night

Many of the Chanukiyas, Such as the Above, Are Sponsored by Chabad

Four Glass Boxes of Chanukiyas All Lit Up for the World to See on Bezalel Street