Celebrate Hanukkah with Friends and Song at the Vancouver Peretz Centre

Hanukkah starts late in 2024, so we're hosting warm up events on Friday, December 13th and Sunday, December 15th to celebrate as a community (all are welcome).

Contact our office with questions at info@peretz-centre.org

Friday Night Hanukkah Singalong and Community Potluck

Fraytik tsu Nakht (Friday night) Shabbes for Cultural Jews is a longstanding tradition of the Peretz Centre. Starting with songs and readings from our Secular Humanist booklet, we welcome members, friends, and newcomers to light candles, share food, and stay for a kids-friendly singalong of classic Hanukkah songs in Yiddish, Hebrew, Ladino, and English.

Peretz staff have arranged for potato latkes and sfenj (Moroccan doughnuts) to commemorate the essential role of fried foods in Hanukkah celebrations.

When: Friday, December 13th, 2024 (6pm-9pm)

Where: The Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture (6184 Ash Street)

Admission: a contribution to the pot luck OR pay $18.00 per person (children under 13 and Pnei Mitzvah grads are free). Please register early to help us prepare enough food for everyone.

Register here

How to Learn the Songs (Music, Lyrics, and Translations)

Whether you want to learn or teach the songs, refresh your memory, or just sing them for fun, Donna, Dan, and Rivka made a playlist of the songs we have planned:

Please note that we often sing secularized versions of traditional songs and some of the videos may be a bit different than the Peretz versions.

Each video is linked with additional resources in the list below (click to expand):

1. Ikh bin a Kleyner Dreydel (Yiddish)

Listen and singalong with Karen Feldman's performance for Yiddish Oystralye on YouTube:

Score, lyrics, and translations here:

Ikh Bin A Kleyner Dreydel – The Yosl and Chana Mlotek Yiddish Song Collection at the Workers Circle

2. I Have a Little Dreidel (English)

Learn the lyrics along with the music in this video by Shaboom:

Lyrics:

I have a little dreidel,

I made it out of clay,

And when it's dry and ready,

Then dreidel I shall play.

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,

I made it out of clay;

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,

Now dreidel I shall play.

It has a lovely body,

With leg so short and thin,

And when it gets all tired,

It drops and then I win.

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,

With leg so short and thin,

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,

It drops and then I win.

My dreidel's always playful

It loves to dance and spin

A happy game of dreidel

Come play-now let's begin

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,

I made it out of sand,

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel

it crumbles in my hand!

I have a little dreidl,

I made it out of schmalz,

And ev'ry time I spin it

It does a little waltz.

3. Maoz Tzur / Rock of Ages (Hebrew)

We will sing Don Cooper's version of the traditional song Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages), which you can listen to here:

4. Khanike oy Khanike (Yiddish)

This Yiddish version of Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah by Mordkhe Rivesman is performed by Pete Seeger in a video shared by Yiddishkayt channel:

Score, lyrics, and translation here:

Khanike, Oy Khanike – The Yosl and Chana Mlotek Yiddish Song Collection at the Workers Circle

Lyrics:

Khanike oy khanike, A yontev a sheyner​

A lustiger a freylikher, Nito nokh azeyner​

Ale nakht in dreydlakh shpiln mir​

Zudigheyse latkes esn mir​

Geshvinder tsindt kinder​

Di dininke likhtelekh on​

Lomir ale zingen, un lomir ale shvingen​

Un lomir ale tantzn in kon​

Lomir ale zingen, un lomir ale shvingen​

Un lomir ale tantzn in kon

5. Hanukkah oh Hanukkah (English)

In English, we joyfully share the recording by the Barenaked Ladies:

Lyrics:

Chanukah, Oh Chanukah, come light the Menorah​

Let's have a party, we'll all dance the hora​

Gather round the table, we'll all have a treat ​

Dreidls to play with, and latkes to eat.​

And while we are playing, the candles are burning low​

One for each night, they shed a sweet light ​

To remind us of days long ago. ​

One for each night, they shed a sweet light​

To remind us of days long ago.

6. Sevivon sov sov sov (Hebrew)

Savannah Kids made a video with the lyrics in Hebrew, plus translation in English to follow along:

Transliteration:

Sevivon, sov, sov, sov!  Chanukah, hu chag tov;  Chanukah, hu chag tov-  Sevivon, sov, sov, sov!	Dreydl spin spin spin  Chanukah is a nice holiday
Chag simchah hu la-am,   Nes gadol hayah sham;   Nes gadol hayah sham-   Chag simcha hu la-am.	It's a joyous holiday for the nation  A great miracle happened there  It's a joyous holiday for the people

7. Ocho kandelikas (Ladino)

This choir performance of Ocho Kandelikas ("Eight Little Candles") by Flory Jagoda includes lyrics in Ladino and translations in English:

A version for kids sung by Seth Hoffman provides the lyrics in Ladino to follow along too.

Lyrics:

Hanukah linda sta aki, Ocho kandelas para mi

Hanukah linda sta aki, Ocho kandelas para mi

Chorus:

Una kandelika, dos kandelikas

Tres kandelikas, kuatro kandelikas

Sintyu kandelikas, seysh kandelikas

Siete kandelikas, ocho kandelas para mi.

Muchas fiestas vo fazer, con alegrias i plazer

Muchas fiestas vo fazer, con alegrias i plazer

(Chorus)

Los pastelikas vo kumer, con almendrikas i la miel

Los pastelikas vo kumer, con almendrikas i la miel

(Chorus)

Sheet Music:

Ocho Kandelikas Sheet Music.pdf

Download PDF • 69KB

8. Light One Candle (English)

A performance of Peter, Paul and Mary's folk song by Hassidic singer Benny Friedman:

Sheet Music:

Light One Candle Sheet Music.pdf

Download PDF • 196KB

9. Tsindt on Likhtlekh (Yiddish)

Listen to Tsindt on Likhtlekh performed by the Lori Cahan-Simon Ensemble on YouTube:

Sheet Music:

Tsindt on Likhtlekh Sheet Music.pdf

Download PDF • 35KB

10. Drey zikh, dreydele (Yiddish)

Another one from YiddishOystralye, performed by Joshua Reuben and Tomi Kalinski:

Lyrics in Yiddish, transliterated Yiddish, and English can be found here:

Drey Zikh, Dreydele – The Yosl and Chana Mlotek Yiddish Song Collection at the Workers Circle

11. Borukh Ate zingt der tate (Yiddish)

Performed by The Peace of Heart Choir in New York City, including lyrics in Yiddish and English:

Get Tickets for the Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir 2024 Hanukkah Concert

After a long absence, the Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir will be performing our Hanukkah/Khanike repertoire at the Peretz Centre this year. The performance will featuring songs in Yiddish, Hebrew, and English (see event details for the full repertoire).

When: Sunday, December 15th, 2024 (2pm-3:30pm)

Where: The Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture (6184 Ash Street)

Admission: Early-bird tickets are $15 ($10 for seniors) until Tuesday, Dec. 10th, or regular price $18 from Dec. 11th.

Get Tickets

Though the choir hasn't performed for Hanukkah at the Peretz Centre in many years, they regularly bring out their holiday repertoire at other locations in Vancouver. You can watch CBC's coverage on their 2023 concert at the downtown branch of the Vancouver Public Library: