Eight Nights Of Chanukah with Rodef Shalom

How do these 8 countries celebrate Chanukah ?
by Shannon Darnall, thedailymeal.com
Jews in one region of​ ​France​, Alsace, often used double-decker Chanukah menorahs with space for 16 lights. The second set of lights
was used so that both a father and his son could light a candle together on one menorah.
Budapest​ hosts the “Quarter6Quarter7” festival every year. It’s named after the districts that make up Budapest's historic Jewish quarter.
For eight nights, people celebrate with flash mobs, concerts, theater performances, and special menus at restaurants.
There are 33 synagogues in ​India​ and a vibrant Jewish community. Indian Jews don’t light wax-covered candles, instead, they dip wicks
in coconut oil. Hannukah in India often features burfi, a milk-based treat enhanced with sweet fruits.
Iran​ has been home to Jews for 3,000 years, according to some estimates — many believe Esther resided there in biblical times. Today,
Iran hosts synagogues and temples where Jews go to worship on many holidays, Chanukah included. Jewish residents will attend religious
services, read from prayer books, and celebrate Chanukah in a more traditional fashion than other countries’ gift-giving rituals of
modernity.
In ​Israel​ on all eight nights of Chanukah , the streets of Jerusalem are aglow. The custom is to display your family’s menorah for the
neighborhood to see — many houses even have cutouts in the wall specifically designed for this purpose. For nourishment, Israeli Jews
turn to latkes and ​sufganiyot​ (doughnuts). Both foods are fried in oil to symbolize the oil used by the ancient Jews to light the temple.
You won’t find many latkes in the Jewish kitchens of ​Morocco​ during Chanukah . Instead, you’ll find citrus-flavored doughnuts, called
sfenj​, made with orange juice and zest. Oranges have become affiliated with Chanukah in Morocco because the famous Jaffa oranges come
into season during the late fall and early winter.
In Istanbul, ​Turkey’s​ Jews often celebrate by singing a unique song called “Ocho Candelas” written in honor of the menorah’s eight
candles in the Ladino dialect used by Sephardic Jews who fled oppression in Spain for sanctuary under the Turkish government. They also
indulge in a food called “burmelos,” fritters that are made similarly to traditional latkes.
In ​Yemen​ and other North African countries, the seventh night of Chanukah has adopted a new meaning. This night is reserved for
celebrating women, inspired by heroines of the Torah — specifically, they reference Hannah, a woman who sacrificed seven sons to protect
Judaism against Greek pressure to convert, and Judith, a woman who seduced and assassinated an Assyrian general to lead the Jewish army
to a fantastic win.