We are Dancing Again | Chanukah 2025 at Temple Israel of Westport, CT -

Events

TI’s World Famous Chanukah Party
Sun Dec 14 | 10:30a-1p

Our entire TI family will gather to celebrate Chanukah, starting with a family sing-along with our clergy, Chanukah trivia, a holiday story, and menorah lighting. This year’s Chanukah party will feature an interactive game show, face painting, an arts and crafts project, food trucks, and so much more.

We are Dancing Again | Chanukah 2025 at Temple Israel of Westport, CT

Latkes Libations & LIGHT: A Chanukah Trivia Night
Wed Dec 17 | 7:00p

Hang with your TI friends, wear your best (ugly) Chanukah sweater, and bring your A-game for a night of laughs, latkes, and lively competition. The evening will also feature fancy drinks and mocktails, fabulous prizes, and fried deliciousness.

Young Family Shabbat Chanukah
Fri Dec 19 | 5:00p

A warm, musical, and accessible Shabbat and Chanukah experience, designed specifically for children ages 2-7 and their families, and led by our clergy. A festive family dinner will follow.

Congregational Shabbat Chanukah
Fri Dec 19 | 6:30p

Bring in the light with your TI family and TI’s Youth Choir. Together we will fill our space with the light of community and song.

Westport Town Lighting
Tue Dec 16 | 5:15p

Meet Rabbi Friedman and Cantor Cadrain at the corner of Post Rd and Main St for a Chanukah celebration with the entire Westport Jewish community.

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Women’s Group: Book and Brew
Tue Dec 9 | 7:30p

Read Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah and then discuss with your TI friends over a nosh and drink. We will be joined virtually by the author, Jean Meltzer, for this conversation. Hosted by the Women’s Group and co-sponsored by PJ Library Parents’ Book Club, Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County, and the Jewish Book Council.

INTERACTIVE HOLIDAY LEARNING: Latkes and Learning
Wed Dec 1o | 12p

Make your own latkes and meet Rabbi Plesent for a heated debate on the most sought-after topping combinations.

Hidden Gems of Judaism
Tue Dec 16 | 11:30a

This year in Hidden Gems of Judaism, we will focus on key thinkers and moments throughout Jewish history that you probably didn’t learn in Hebrew school, from Maimonides to Sondheim, to the Kosher Meat Boycott of 1902, and more.

Give a Night of Chanukah

Some families have the tradition of giving presents each night of Chanukah. We encourage you to Give a Night of Chanukah, directing the amount you would ordinarily spend on one night of gifts to tzedakah instead.

Click below to find some tzedakah options that are important to our congregation. Of course, you can also feel free to choose a charity that is important to you.

CONECT

Our congregation has a longstanding commitment to interfaith community organizing that enables us to build relationships and join together to take impactful action on issues as varied as gun violence, health insurance affordability, immigrants’ rights, education and more.

Donate here
Homes with Hope

HWH provides emergency shelter, supportive housing and food assistance to all in need in the Westport community. TI provides weekly meals at Gillespie Center downtown, food drives for the HWH food pantry, and support throughout the year.

Donate here
TI's Annual Fund

Support TI’s extensive security infrastructure and maintain our ironclad commitment to welcome everyone who wants to be part of our congregation regardless of financial capacity.

Donate here
Israel Engagement Group

TI’s Israel Engagment Group is committed to raising awareness, fostering connections, and providing essential financial support to vital organizations in Israel.

Donate here

Holiday Gift Drive
Until Dec 14

Each holiday season, TI partners with Ralphola Taylor Community Center YMCA in Bridgeport to provide gifts to children in need. Gifts must be unwrapped and dropped off at TI by Dec 15. More detailed info can be found below.

More information

Cooking

Chanukah Recipes

In honor of the Maccabees’ oil lasting eight days, it is custom to eat foods made with oil during Chanukah.

Yucca Latkes | Courtesy of Leticia Schwartz

Makes 12 small pancakes

2 medium yuccas, about 1½ lbs total

2 egg whites
2 tablespoons (15g) grated Parmesan
Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons (48g) unsalted butter
1/3 cup canola oil

1.        Peel both layers of the yucca; the outer brown layer and the inner white layer. Wash the yucca and cut in half (not lengthwise) and then in quarters lengthwise. Remove the woody center if the yucca has one (most do). Using the smaller grader blade of the food processor (or you can grade by hand), grade the yucca and turn into a bowl (you should have about 2 cups or 375g).

2.       Add the egg whites, Parmesan and season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix well, making sure yucca is nicely coated and well-seasoned.

3.       Heat butter and oil in a large shallow frying pan over medium heat. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the yucca mixture and press in your hands, first as a “ball” then flat into small, thin patties. Working in batches, place them in the pan, without adding too many at once. Fry them over medium heat, until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the oil, place on a sheet pan lined with paper towels while you cook the rest. Serve hot as a side dish or main course. You can re-heat these pancakes quite easily in a 350˚F oven for 10 minutes.
Zucchini Latkes | Courtesy of Lauren Braun Costello

Makes 4-6 latkes

1 cup labneh juice and zest of two Meyer Lemons
6 medium zucchini, skin-on (or 4 large)
½ bunch mint leaves (stems discarded), chiffonade
3 tablespoons matzo meal
2 eggs
1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
½ teaspoon white pepper or to taste
vegetable oil for frying

1.        First make the labneh. Combine the Meyer Lemon zest and juice with the labneh. Season with salt, if desired. Set aside.

2.       To make the latkes, grate the zucchini either in a box grater or in a food processor. Place the grated zucchini on a clean dish towel. Gather the dish towel to enclose the zucchini and squeeze as much of the liquid from the zucchini as possible.

3.       Combine the strained zucchini, mint, salt, pepper, matzo meal and eggs in a large bowl. Beat well with a fork to combine.

4.      Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil (or any high flashpoint oil) in a sauté pan. Once the oil is hot and shimmering—but NOT smoking—add ¼-cup dollops of latke batter to the oil and flatten with the back of a heatproof spatula. Cook the latkes for 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown. Be sure to manage the heat source so that the oil does not smoke (likely medium to medium-low).

5.       Drain the latkes on a tray or plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of salt and the Meyer lemon labneh, or keep warm until service in a 250F oven
Vegetable Tempura | Courtesy of Lauren Braun Costello

Makes 4-6 servings

Dipping Sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Tempura Ingredients:
1 large head broccoli, trimmed and cut into long spears
4 carrots, trimmed, peeled, and cut lengthwise in half or quarters
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut crosswise into ¼-inch thick slices
2 cups flour
2 large eggs
2 cups very cold seltzer (or ice water water or very cold beer)
zest of 1 lemon
vegetable oil for frying

1.        First combine all the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

2.       In deep fryer, 8-quart stockpot, or Dutch oven with a candy thermometer attached, heat oil (over medium heat if not in a deep fryer) to reach 375ºF.

3.       To make the tempura batter, whisk the flour, egg, salt, and seltzer (or water or beer) in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined and all lumps have been removed. Add the lemon zest to the tempura batter and mix just to combine.

4.      Working with three pieces of vegetable at a time, dip the broccoli spears/carrot batons/sweet potato discs into the tempura batter to fully coat. Holding the end of one broccoli stalk/carrot/sweet potato, remove from the batter and allow excess batter to drip off before placing in the oil. Then place the head of the broccoli stalk/end of the carrot/sweet potato slice 1-inch deep into the oil while still holding the stem/end. Hold for three seconds and then gently release (to avoid sticking to the bottom on the pan!). Repeat with remaining vegetable pieces.

5.       With a spider or slotted spoon, gently turn each piece in the oil after about 30 seconds and cook until the tempura coating is light brown and the vegetables are cooked crisp tender, about 90 seconds. Remove the tempura to a sheet pan lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining vegetables, in batches of three. Continue to adjust heat in order to maintain an oil temperature of 375ºF.

6.      Serve the broccoli tempura immediately with the dipping sauce.
Chanukah Bark | Courtesy of Lauren Braun Costello

Makes 16 cups of bark

1 pound dark chocolate 4 ounces white chocolate
16 chocolate gelt (coins) blue and white sprinkles or nonpareils
white sugar pearls
silver and gold confetti sprinkles
miniature chocolate chips

Chop the dark chocolate and melt in a double boiler over moderate heat, or in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl. Pour the chocolate in a rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Spread evenly with an offset spatula to fill the sheet pan. Melt the white chocolate in a similar manner and drizzle over the dark chocolate. Place the Chanukah gelt atop the chocolate bark. Scatter sprinkles and miniature marshmallows. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour, until the chocolate bark is fully set. Remove and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Chanukah Blessings

Each Night

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה, יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ, מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֺתָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל חֲנֻכָּה

.Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tsivanu l’hadlik ner shel Chanukah

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who hallows us with mitzvot, commanding us to kindle the Chanukah lights.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁעָשָׂה נִסִּים לַאֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, she-asah nisim laavoteinu v’imoteinu bayamim hahaeim baz’man hazeh.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who performed wonderous deeds for our ancestors in days of old at this season.

First Night Only

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָֽנוּ וְקִיְּמָֽנוּ וְהִגִּיעָֽנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, shehechehyanu, v’kiy’manu, v’higianu laz’man hazeh.

Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of all, for giving us life, sustaining us, and enabling us to reach this season.

Chanukah Songs

Contact Info

Shabbat Times