Overview
Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish festival, and its eighth and final day is observed in Israel much as the earlier days are, with the addition of the festival's concluding rituals. Because Hanukkah is a minor religious holiday rather than one of the major pilgrimage festivals, Israeli observance blends religious practice with a strong national and cultural character. The eighth day is the last opportunity to light the hanukkiah (the nine-branched Hanukkah menorah), to recite the associated blessings, and to mark the close of the festival.
Origins and Meaning in Israel
Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BCE, following the Maccabean revolt against Seleucid rule. The central miracle recalled by the festival is that a small quantity of consecrated oil, sufficient for only one day, burned for eight days. This is why the holiday lasts eight days and why light—not military victory alone—is its dominant symbol.
In Israel, Hanukkah carries an additional layer of meaning as a celebration of Jewish sovereignty and national liberation, themes drawn directly from the Maccabean story. The festival is widely observed across Israeli society, including by many secular Israelis who do not observe other religious holidays, because of this national dimension.
Customs and Traditions
- Lighting the hanukkiah: On each of the eight nights, one additional candle is lit, so that on the eighth night all eight candles are burning, plus the shamash (the helper candle used to light the others). The eighth night is therefore the fullest and brightest of the festival.
- Placement of the hanukkiah: It is traditionally placed near a window or doorway so that the light is visible from outside, publicly proclaiming the miracle.
- Blessings and songs: Blessings are recited over the lighting, and traditional songs such as "Ma'oz Tzur" and "Hanerot Halalu" are sung. On the eighth night, the full set of candles makes the lighting the most elaborate of the holiday.
- Hanukkah gelt: Giving small sums of money or chocolate coins to children is a longstanding custom.
- Dreidel: Spinning the four-sided dreidel, a game associated with the festival, remains a popular family activity, especially among children.
Food and Drink
Because the Hanukkah story centers on oil, foods fried in oil are the hallmark of the holiday. In Israel the most iconic is the sufganiyah, a round jelly-filled doughnut that is fried and often dusted with powdered sugar. Bakeries and supermarkets across the country sell sufganiyot throughout the eight days, and the eighth day is a last chance to enjoy them before they disappear from shelves. Potato latkes (levivot), also fried in oil, are another traditional food, particularly among Ashkenazi families. Dairy foods are eaten by some communities in remembrance of related traditions.
Religious and Civic Observances
Religiously, the eighth day follows the same pattern as the preceding days: the hanukkiah is lit after nightfall, blessings are recited, and the festival's prayers—including the special insertion for Hanukkah in the daily prayer and grace after meals—are said. The full Hallel psalms are recited on each day of Hanukkah, including the eighth.
Civically, Hanukkah in Israel is a school holiday, and the eighth day falls within that vacation period. The festival is marked in public life through official events, and the eighth day, like the others, is a normal working day for most of the economy rather than a full public holiday.
Public Festivities
- Public candle-lighting: Large hanukkiot are lit in public squares, at official buildings, and in many municipalities, with the eighth night drawing the largest crowds.
- School and community events: Schools, community centers, and youth movements hold Hanukkah parties, plays, and song-and-dance gatherings during the vacation.
- Torch relays and ceremonies: The festival period is associated with public ceremonies and processions that emphasize the holiday's themes of light and national renewal.
- Family gatherings: The eighth night is commonly spent with family, lighting the hanukkiah together, singing, eating fried foods, and exchanging gifts or gelt.
Regional Variations
Observance is broadly similar throughout Israel, since the holiday is national in scope. Differences tend to follow community rather than geography: religious neighborhoods and cities emphasize synagogue and public candle-lighting, while secular and mixed areas emphasize parties, school events, and public festivities. Jerusalem, as the site of the Temple whose rededication the festival commemorates, gives the holiday particular resonance, and its public hanukkiot and ceremonies draw attention. Elsewhere, from Tel Aviv to the northern and southern regions, the emphasis is on community and family celebrations, with the eighth night serving as the festival's culmination.
The Eighth Day in Practice
For many Israelis, the eighth day of Hanukkah is both a climax and a farewell: the hanukkiah burns at its brightest with all eight candles, the last sufganiyot are eaten, and the school vacation is drawing to a close. The day combines the religious completion of the festival with the national and cultural associations that make Hanukkah one of the most widely observed holidays in Israel.