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December 11, 2009
A lower-key Chanukah
For most Israelis, gifts are second to sufganiyot.
MICHELLE DODEK
While parents in Canada are frantically trying to figure out what gifts their children would love for Chanukah and where the money might come from to pay for the over-the-top celebration, in Israel, the real focus in on one thing – food. Jelly doughnuts, to be exact.
I spent 10 days in Israel in November and, walking the bustling streets of Tel Aviv, there was little evidence that a holiday was approaching. In contrast with North America, where the wreaths and the tinsel appear out of nowhere on the first of November, reminding people (read: shoppers) that the holiday season is upon them, Israel is business as usual. With Chanukah three weeks away, I searched for evidence of the holiday, perhaps something that I could take home with me that was special for Chanukah. Other than one store on Dizengoff Street displaying some unique and beautiful Chanukah menorot in the window, there was really nothing to be found indicating a holiday was imminent.
Former Vancouverite Daniella Marks pointed out the Israeli answer. "This store sells the best sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) in the country," she said, nearly salivating as we walked past a bakery on Allenby Street near the famous Carmel Market. "When I had Neomi a year ago, everyone brought them to me in the hospital. It was the best treat ever."
Upon close inspection, these doughnuts are nothing like Tim Horton's powder-covered globs with jam in the centre. Like so much of Israeli baking, chocolate is heavily featured. The range of fillings and toppings is as varied as the languages spoken on Tel Aviv streets. Bright-green pistachio is displayed with almond cream-filled, chocolate-topped treats. Some have fruit inside with nuts on top and some are just filled and topped with delicious chocolate.
Once it had been pointed out, I began to notice that every bakery had an array of doughnuts prominently displayed. This is apparently a phenomenon that appears for only a couple of months and then disappears until the following November. However, sufganiyot are only one of the ways to get "oil fix" required for the celebration of Chanukah.
Of course, latkes are the other. Restaurants add latkes of all descriptions to their menus during the Chanukah season. Potato latkes are ubiquitous, but there are other vegetable combinations as well.
The true insight into the status of Chanukah during the lead-up to the holiday is in the gan (day care). I had the privilege of visiting a number of lovely ganim supported by Canadian Hadassah-WIZO and other WIZO federations. It was here that the holiday reigned supreme. Walls were covered in Chanukah crafts, including beautiful menorot and candles, dreidels and ornately decorated jugs of oil. Children paraded and sang with paper flames as part of their daily routine of song and movement. In spite of the fact that society is not saturated with a commercialized holiday, children are happy to simply learn, celebrate and enjoy part of the Jewish tradition and heritage.
In homes, the nights of Chanukah are enjoyed with family and friends, lighting candles, singing and playing dreidel – with a slightly different set of letters than we have here. Instead of nun, gimmel, hay and shin, representing the phrase, "A great miracle happened there," Israeli dreidels replace the shin with a pey to show that the miracle happened poh (here). Like all Israeli gatherings, there is, of course, too much food. In this case, in addition to the heaping platters of whatever delicious cuisine, there will likely be piles of steaming, delicious latkes and the best and most unusual jelly doughnuts in the world.
The Christmas season can be criticized as a commercial juggernaut, pushing consumer spending forward and stretching finances. Often, Jewish people in North America feel the need to mimic the gift-buying and turn Chanukah into a Jewish version of secularized Christmas. In Israel, there is no need to compete. Knowing the value of celebration and enjoying life more than most other cultures, Israelis take the opportunity provided by Chanukah to enjoy life and eat.
Michelle Dodek is a freelance writer living in Vancouver.
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