Get Outta Town
Continued from Page 19
plore the parks and elegant prewar
boulevards of Kreuzberg, where the
chatter of Hebrew-speaking families
mingles with Arabic, Turkish, and a
variety of accents from all over Ger-
many. Pick up a copy of Spitz, the
Hebrew-language magazine of the
Berlin Israeli community, for the lat-
est on Chanukah happenings at
Habait, the Israeli-expat cultural so-
ciety that hosts the coolest parties,
poetry readings and concerts.

Chanukah fairs are popping up in
a city famous for its Christmas mar-
kets, with handcrafted menorahs and
rugelach where once there were only
fruitcakes and glühwein (the latter, hot
spiced mulled wine, remains an ecu-
menical holiday pleasure and the per-
fect antidote for winter’s chill). The
monthlong market at the Jewish Mu-
seum Berlin is reportedly on hiatus
this season — but visitors to the mu-
seum can enjoy Chanukah family fes-
tivals on December weekends, with
games and retellings of the Maccabee
story. Wind down in the café’s sunny glassed-in courtyard, a pleasant
setting for contemporary Jewish fare — a cuisine enlivened by the di-
verse cultures that are reinvigorating Berlin.

Winter is always full of candlelight in Berlin, as
evidenced by the scene at this Habait party.

— as well as the sad reality that every
Jewish event and institution still
must be heavily guarded.

Still, it is a sight no Jew could
have imagined only 50 years ago —
public menorahs lighting up crowd-
ed plazas all over Berlin. Nor could
they have imagined the public rev-
elry of Berlin’s annual Chanukah
Ball, held each year on the Saturday
of the holiday at the Grand Hyatt
Berlin, with a live band and DJs
spinning sets all night. Or the most
improbable and lovely sight of all —
capacity crowds of young people
and children of all ages, singing and
dancing and gobbling down suf-
ganiyot during Chanukah festivities
at Fraenkelufer Synagogue, a vibrant
nexus of Jewish community in the
Kreuzberg district.

How to catch the Berlin-Israeli
vibe this Chanukah: Shop for Jewish tunes at Gordon Café and
Record Store in Neukölln, a Berlin offshoot of the Tel Aviv music
store. Debate the relative merits of the hummus at Zula, Djimalaya
or Shiloh Vegetarian Café, three of the most popular hummusiyas
that are sprouting up like dandelions in Israeli neighborhoods. Ex-
Hilary Danailova is spending this Chanukah at an undisclosed location.

Name: Gertrude Hawk Chocolates
Width: 7.5"
Depth: 4.75"
Color: Black plus one
Comment: Holiday Guide
20 NOVEMBER 19, 2015
WINTER HOLIDAY GUIDE
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM