Hanukkah begins Sunday at sundown. The holiday will be celebrated with different events across the South Fork, including menorah lightings, singing songs, making and eating latkes and sufganiyot (doughnuts), and religious services.
On Sunday at 5 p.m., the Jewish Center of the Hamptons will light the first candle of an electric menorah in East Hampton at Nick and Toni's, which will serve latkes and drinks. Temple Adas Israel will hold a first-night lighting at 6 p.m. at the windmill on Long Wharf in Sag Harbor.
The next seven nights will feature virtual services with Temple Adas Israel at 6 p.m. each night. Temple members will have received emails containing direct links to the Zoom services.
Chabad of the Hamptons was to have held its annual "menorahcade" on Sunday afternoon, and its festivities continue on Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Amagansett Fire Department and next Sunday at noon at the Montauk green.
The Jewish Center will hold a celebration on Monday at 5 p.m. at Stuart's Seafood Shop on Oak Lane in Amagansett, where folks can find latkes, smoked fish, and lox. Tuesday's celebration will take congregants and community members to Hook Mill in East Hampton Village at 5 p.m. for a candle lighting, songs, and treats for kids. There will be another candle lighting on Wednesday at Guild Hall, where everyone is encouraged to view the art exhibits on display after the 6 p.m. lighting.
The Jewish Center will also have a menorah lighting on Thursday at the Wolffer Estate winery in Sagaponack starting at 5 p.m. There will be a toast to "all the light we are blessed with," according to an announcement. Advance sign-up is required for this one, and can be done online via the "Pop-Up Chanukah" link at jcoh.org.
Friday's celebration will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Jewish Center, with a Shabbat service to follow in the sanctuary. Proof of vaccination will be required for this event, for which more information can be found online at jcoh.com/waiver. Pop-Up Chanukah continues Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Clubhouse in Wainscott with "a menorah lighting that has something for everyone," including arcade games, bowling, and more.
At 5 p.m. on Sunday, the Jewish Center's rabbi, Josh Franklin, and Stephanie Whitehorn will host members for an assortment of sufganiyot in the backyard of their home. Online registration is required ahead of time.
Hanukkah is the eight-day holiday that celebrates the Maccabees' victory over their oppressors in the second century B.C. Afterward, as the origin story goes, when the Maccabees went to rededicate their temple, they found the oil to light the candles had been tainted. Only one night's pure oil remained, but it miraculously lasted for eight nights.