Madison Hanukkah Events | 2019

As most Americans know, Hanukkah is the winter holiday of Judaism. Because it typically falls around Christmastime, many people associate the two holidays with one another; however, it is worth noting that unlike Christmas, Hanukkah is not a deeply religiously significant holiday, unlike the fall holidays of Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah and the spring holiday of Passover. Instead, Hanukkah is the festival of lights, and this year, it falls on December 22 at sundown and lasts for eight nights, through December 30.

This year in our home, we’ll be keeping things simple. We’ll light the Menorah each night at sundown, give small gifts each night (4 kids. 8 nights of presents. The math is never in our favor), and eat various oil-related foods, which include latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (donuts). Due to the timing of Hanukkah this year, we’ll be celebrating Christmas Eve with my husband’s side of the family and Christmas as well, so things will be a bit different than usual. Read: EVEN MORE FULL OF GIFTS, lights, and the brightness of family holidays in a season of darkness.

If you’ll be in Madison to celebrate, here are some events that might be interesting to check out. If you happen to know of other events, please post them in the comments. Thanks and Happy Hanukkah!

Madison Hanukkah Events 2019

Sunday December 22- Monday December 31, 2019 | 2019 Happy Hanukkah 8K– Eight Crazy Nights Virtual Race 

Although this event is based out of Milwaukee, because it is a virtual race, you can run anywhere you’d like. The $20 ticket price helps to benefit the Human Rights Initiative, and the best part is you can run the race in increments– a little bit each night of Hanukah.  What could be a better way to burn off all those latkes? For more information, click HERE.

Sunday, December 22, 4:00pm-7:00pm | Hanukkah Extravaganza

Temple Beth El,  2702 Arbor Drive, Madison
This night of family fun starts with a carnival and celebration and also includes a sing-along, tacos and latkes for dinner, and an olive oil tasting.  For more information, click HERE.

Sunday, December 22, 6:00-7:00pm | Hanukkah Party

Beth Israel Center, 1406 Mound Street, Madison
For more information about this family friendly event, click HERE.