In Celebrate Hanukkah Heiligman
welcomes readers to a holiday
celebrated by Jewish communities
around the world.
The vivid photography of
National Geographic illustrates
the joyous celebrations of
Jewish people around the
world—including Ghana,
Uganda, India, Israel, Peru,
the United States and Poland,
as they light menorahs, spin
dreidels, and make latkes.
The richly informative back
matter details many facts,
such as the story of U.S.
astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman,
who brought a menorah and
a dreidel on his space shuttle
mission in 1993. Hoffman
observed the traditional
spinning of the dreidel,
but wisely left the menorah
unlit in the proximity of
several thousand liters of
rocket fuel! Also included
are the author's sure-to-please
latke recipe, Hanukkah blessings,
and a Hanukkah song.
A note from Rabbi Shira
Stern, the book's consultant,
sets the holiday in its global
religious and cultural context.