The great sage, Rabbi Hillel, shares that with each night of Chanukah, we are to add a candle to our Chanukiah, to increase the light each night. With the increase in light, we also must increase the joy that this holiday brings, and we know that this year, more than ever, we could use some more light and joy in our homes.
Join your Temple Shalom family for 8 Nights of Chanukah light and joy! Each night of Chanukah, we will gather together virtually to light our Chanukiot (Chanukah menorah) and to participate in some fun and joy together. We will also have some fun-filled activities and challenges to carry us through the entire holiday. Read below and mark your calendars for Temple Shalom’s 8 Nights of Chanukah!
Temple Shalom’s 8 Nights of Chanukah!

Thursday, December 10 at 5:30 pm
Join us as we welcome in the first night of Chanukah. We’ll sing songs and light and bless our Chanukah candles. Afterwards, we will showcase all those who participated in the Chanukiah making competition and award our prizes! Click here to register!

Friday, December 11 at 7 pm
Join us for Shabbat evening services and a celebration of Chanukah! Have your chanukiah (Chanukah menorah) and Shabbat candles with you as we light up our Zoom screens and feel the warmth of our Temple Shalom community.

Saturday, December 12 at 5 pm
Join Stacy and the Sisterhood for an evening of latke making! Stacy will guide us all in making some delicious latkes. We will then come together for Havdalah and Chanukah candle lighting.

Sunday, December 13 4:00-5:30 pm
Be The Light Baking with Paula Shoyer
This is a J Pop-Ups program, funded by the Phyllis Margolius Family Foundation
On Chanukah, we can spread the light of the holiday with others by giving back. Bring a donation for DC Diaper Bank in the morning at Temple Shalom (8401 Grubb Road, Chevy Chase, MD).
Later that day, join us on Zoom for a bake-along with PAULA SHOYER! We will make blue-and-white cookies, ending with lighting candles together at 5:30 pm.
You can pick up an activity kit for your family when you drop off your donation or arrange an alternate option by contacting us. Zoom link, recipe, and the ingredient list will be shared once you register.
Registration deadline to receive a kit: Thursday, December 10th. You must register to participate in this event! RSVP HERE.

Monday, December 14 at 7 pm
Bring your families or scavenger hunt teams for a Chanukah themed virtual escape room! Work your way through eight series of puzzles to find the secret code to enter into the scavenger hunt. First team through the rooms will receive a prize! Great for 3/4th grade and up, including adult teams! Fun for all!

Tuesday, December 15 at 5:30 pm
Join us after Hebrew school for some Chanukah fun and games as well as a communal menorah lighting.

Wednesday, December 16 at 5:30pm
Put on that ugly Chanukah sweater, pajamas, or Chanukah garb and join us for a Chanukah sing-a-long and candle lighting!

Thursday, December 17 at 5:30 pm
Celebrate the Festival of lights with a COOL light show from J4 Design on zoom.

Thursday, December 17, 7:00 pm
Temple Shalom’s Amazing Chanukah Race!

Beginning with the first night of Chanukah, join us for a DIY Amazing Race and Chanukah Scavenger Hunt! This Amazing Race is filled with fun-filled activities, challenges and learning opportunities. We are so excited to be offering some AMAZING prizes to our Amazing Race contestants and winners. Prizes include: Gift Cards to some of our favorite local establishments (Child's Play Toys and Books, Politics and Prose, Parkway Deli, Silver Diner and more), Temple Shalom SWAG and much, much more! Click here to learn more about the Amazing Chanukah Race!
Chanukiah (Chanukah Menorah)
Making Competition!

Get your creative juices flowing this Chanukah and join us as we design and create our own 5781 Chanukiah! We are excited to be offering some AMAZING prizes. We will be awarding prizes and voting on Chanukiot based on these three categories: (1) under 12 years old (2) 12-18 years old (3) Families and Adults.

Prizes include a new Temple Shalom winter hat, freshly made Sufganiot (donuts) or potato latkes, and more to choose from! Click here to sign up and Click here to learn more about the competition, creative ways to make your own Chanukiah, safety tips and best practices!
Chanukah Decoration Competition - part of Temple Shalom's Amazing Chanukah Race and Photo Scavenger Hunt!

As part of the Amazing Chanukah Race, we are asking everyone to participate in a Chanukah decoration competition outside of your house. Get your creative juices flowing, and help us spread the light and joy of this season for all to see! We are excited to be offering some AMAZING prizes. If you would like to participate, please click here to sign up! Questions on how to participate? Email Rabbi Ira!
We want Your Chanukah Pictures!

As part of our Chanukah celebration we want to share your families Chanukah pictures (past or present!!!) during The Night of 1,000 Menorahs. So send us pictures of you lighting the Chanukiah, eat latkes, making sufganiyot, making fried foods, playing dreidel, or wearing your ugly Chanukah sweater - Anything Chanukah related. Please use this form to submit your photos:
 
Please submit by MONDAY, DECEMBER 6th!  If you have any questions, please email Cantorial Soloist Emily Meyer at [email protected]
Sing “Oh Chanukah " WITH OUR CONGREGATION
WE'RE MAKING ANOTHER VIDEO!!!

As many of you remember, our High Holiday video of Nefesh Mountain's "Hinei Mah Tov - Brothers and Sisters" was a very special and moving moment during our holiday services. We hope to continue this tradition of digitally combining our voices together in order to hear our "congregational voice" throughout our continued time at home. 
 
We hope that you will help us to bring in the light of Chanukah by submitting pictures and videos for our Night of 1,000 Menorahs service on December 11th. We will be creating a video of "Oh Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah."  You can be silly, wear you ugly Chanukah sweaters and HAVE FUN!
 
Here’s what we need you to do by MONDAY, DECEMBER 6TH (if you need help email Cantorial Soloist Emily Meyer at [email protected].) Members of a household can do this together or separately: 
 
1. You will need two devices (computer, iPad, iPod, phone, etc.) and a set of headphones. Download this recording to one device and set the other device to take a video.
 
2. Play the music on the device with headphones (we don't want to hear the audio file). Using the other device begin recording (horizontally, not vertically) and SING OUT LOUD AND PROUD! Remember to look at the camera.
 
3. Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SING IN ALL THE LANGUAGES! Here's a song sheet. We want any part of the song you feel comfortable singing.

Do you play an instrument? Using the same method, play along 
 
When you are done, use this form to submit your video.
 
Thank you for helping to bring some Chanukah light to Temple Shalom!