2024 Chanukah Events

duda • December 20, 2024

Community Chanukah Events

Chanukah Cooking Adventure | December 22 | 10:30AM | $5/child

12 Pleasant St., Brunswick

Kids will peel, grate, and fry delicious latkes, pour, mix, and craft scrumptious doughnuts, and enjoy even more fun holiday surprises! Reserve your spot now and join the fun! Let’s unleash your child’s culinary superpowers, create lasting memories, and transform them into MiniChef stars! 🌟
🕎WHO: Ages 3-12
🕎WHEN: December 22 @ 10:30 AM
🕎 WHERE: Brunswick Jewish Center
🕎RSVP: JewishBrunswick.com/familybake

For more : Draizy Lefkowitz, please contact draizy@jewishbrunswick.com

Grand Menorah Lighting at City Hall | December 25 | 4PM

389 Congress Street, Portland

REGISTER

Join us for the annual Grand Menorah Lighting in front of City Hall, this year with Music, Donuts, light up Dreidel necklaces, and Hot Chocolate! Followed by a Community Chanukah Party where all are invited to a delicious Chanukah themed dinner, music with a DJ, hot latkes and chocolate gelt, and a Mad Science show to delight all ages!!

For more information: Contact Rabbi Moshe Wilansky at Info@chabadofmaine.com

Etz Chaim's Hanukkah Party | December 25 | 4PM

267 Congress Street, Portland

REGISTER

Come join us for a festive celebration at Etz Chaim Synagogue! This in person event is the perfect way to enjoy the warmth and joy of Hanukkah together! Lighting the menorah (you can bring and light your own!), Songs and a story, Chinese food dinner and sufganiyot, Dreidel games and board games for all ages

This event is free of charge (donations are welcome!)

Kindly RSVP by Dec. 20th

Public Menorah Lighting | December 26 | 6:30PM

Westbrook Common 850 Main St. Westbrook

Enjoy donuts, latkes, chocolate gelt, Chanukah music, and words from Mayor David C. Morse. For more information click here or contact info@chabadofmaine.com.

Wise Ventures Hanukkah Potluck Dinner | December 28 | 5:30PM

65 McAuley Way

RSVP

Join Wise Ventures for a Hanukkah potluck dinner in the Community Room at Steven's Square Condo, 65 McAuley Way. Due to limited space we will cap participation at 20 people.

Chanukah Celebration & Public Menorah Lighting | December 29 | 3:30PM

191-195 Maine St, Brunswick

REGISTER

Our Annual Community Chanukah Celebration and Public Menorah Lighting. This year, more than ever! An evening of light! Celebrate Jewish pride and unity this Chanukah together with local dignitaries community leaders! Brunswick's annual Public Menorah Lighting will be a SPECTACULAR night out with family and friends. Enjoy hot potato latkes, fresh donuts and chocolate 'gelt' thrown from the Fire Truck! Children will have a blast with the bounce house and Chanukah crafts. Jewish songs and music! This event is for all ages. Fun for the entire family!

Event: 3:30-5:00pm. The Menorah will be lit at 4:15pm
*Strong Security Presence*

For more information: Please contact Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz at info@jewishbrunswick.com

Community: Chanukah Chinese Luncheon | January 1 | 1PM

12 Pleasant St., Brunswick

REGISTER

Grand Chanukah Chinese Luncheon- 7th Day of Chanukah
✨ Fun for the whole family and all ages! Celebrate Chanukah with friends and family!🕹️ Bring your own game to play or choose one of ours.
🍴 Enjoy:
-Delicious Chinese Dinner
-Crispy Latkes
-Sweet Donuts

For more information: Contact Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz at info@jewishbrunswick.com

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Remembering, Rebuilding, and Resilience: JCRC Hosts Eugene Damlich

July 15, 2026

Last week, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine welcomed Eugene Damlich, a survivor of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, for a special lunch and community dialogue. Eugene shared the story of losing his family, surviving unimaginable violence, and rebuilding his life in the years that followed. The only surviving child in a family of five children, Eugene later immigrated to the United States, where, as an adult, he found love and belonging with a Jewish-American family. The gathering was not simply a testimony program, but a genuine exchange between communities. Eugene asked participants how the Jewish community has preserved Holocaust memory while helping survivors and their descendants live with hope, dignity, and purpose. He also invited discussion about forgiveness, justice, healing, and the responsibility to transmit memory across generations. Several people at the table were children of Holocaust survivors—one JCRC member, Anna Wrobel, shared that her mother was also the sole survivor of her family—profoundly relating to Eugene in a way that few others can. In preparation for the lunch, the JCRC held its first movie night, where participants watched Sometimes in April, a 2005 historical drama about the Rwandan Genocide. Last week’s lunch also built upon the JCRC’s participation in this year’s Kwibuka, which annually commemorates the Rwandan Genocide; JCRC members walked in the memorial procession, and a post-Kwibuaka gathering for Maine’s Tutsi community was held at the JCA. We are deeply grateful to Eugene for sharing his testimony, and we look forward to continuing to strengthen the relationship between Maine’s Jewish and Tutsi communities.

2026 Shlichim Spotlight

June 29, 2026

Camp is officially in session, and we’re so excited to welcome this year’s Israeli Shlichim to Center Day Camp. Each summer, our Shlichim (Hebrew for “emissaries”) travel from Israel to spend the season at camp—sharing their culture, traditions, language, stories, and everyday life with our campers and community. Through games, conversations, music, special programs, and lots of fun, they help create meaningful connections that bring Israel to life in authentic and personal ways. Wishing all of our campers, staff, and Shlichim an unforgettable summer ahead!