HANUKKAH FAMILY DAY Held At The Jewish Museum 12/5

The Jewish Museum will present Hanukkah Family Day, a fun-filled day of activities, on Sunday, December 5 from 12 noon to 4 pm. Highlights of the day include a concert by The Macaroons; puppet performances by Talking Hands Theater; self-guidEd Gallery tours; and a huge art workshop.

This event is children age 3 and up, and is free with Museum admission. Adults are asked to accompany their children. For further information, the public may call 212.423.3337.
Hanukkah Family Day is part of Light x Eight: It's Hanukkah at The JM! This annual celebration features eclectic music, family festivities, provocative talk and more. A complete guide to Hanukkah activities at The Jewish Museum can be found at TheJewishMuseum.org/Hanukkah2010.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOR DECEMBER 5

12:30 pm and 1:30 pm
PUPPET PERFORMANCE: TALKING HANDS THEATER
The Mystery of Hanukkah Harry
Joshua Finkelstein and his best friend Danny go on a quest for the mysterious Hanukkah Harry. The audience will help sort clues to Harry's identity in this humorous puppet show about the essence of Hanukkah.
Talking Hands Theatre, directed by Anna Sobel, is a Massachusetts-based company committed to entertaining children with puppets by engaging their minds and their imaginations as well as their senses of humor. They have performed at The Brooklyn Children's Museum, and over forty branches of the New York Public Library.

2:30 pm
CONCERT: THE MACAROONS
The Macaroons love big harmonies, irresistible melodies and a guitar-based sound that recalls everything from the Kinks to Queen to the Shins. A spin-off of the critically acclaimed band, The LeeVees, the Macaroons offer catchy pop-rock for both kids and their parents, with songs like "Hurry Up And Light The Candle" and "Mezuzah."

12 noon - 4 pm
HUGE DROP-IN ART WORKSHOP: Houdini Hanukkah Sculptures
Drawing inspiration from Harry Houdini, who used everyday objects such as milk cans and trunks in his act, children will create eco-friendly Hanukkah sculptures using found objects such as CDs, buttons, playing cards and zippers.

All day
FAMILY GUIDES
Families can pick up a guides to the special exhibition, A Hanukkah Project: Daniel Libeskind's Line of Fire and to Hanukkah lamps on view in the Museum's permanent exhibition, Culture and Continuity: The Jewish Journey. A family guide to the exhibition, Houdini: Art and Magic, will also be available.

The festival of Hanukkah commemorates an ancient victory for religious freedom-the liberation and reestablishment of Jewish worship in the Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE. According to legend, a miracle occurred as the Jews gave thanks for divine intervention. A one-day supply of consecrated oil necessary for worship burned for the entire eight-day celebration. One of the most popular and beloved Jewish ceremonial objects, the Hanukkah lamp has evolved over the centuries for the ceremonial kindling of lights during the eight nights of Hanukkah. The Jewish Museum's collection of Hanukkah lamps reflects the multitude of places where Jews have lived and flourished, as they represent local styles and motifs. Each lamp speaks to a complex interaction of historical events, Jewish law, artistic expression, and personal experience. Today, the celebration of Hanukkah as a time of freedom and miracles and the tradition of kindling the festival lights on a winter's evening continues to have profound meaning around the world. This year Hanukkah begins at sundown on Wednesday, December 1st.

The Edgar M. Bronfman Center for Education's school and family programs are supported by endowed funds established by the Bronfman Family, the Muriel and William Rand Fund, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, the Helena Rubinstein Foundation, Rosalie Klein Adolf, the Kekst Family, and Mrs. Ida C. Schwartz in memory of Mr. Bernard S. Schwartz. We thank the following for their generosity: The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, the Kekst Family, MetLife Foundation, J.E. and Z.B. Butler Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc., Alpern Family Foundation, The Pumpkin Foundation at the request of Joseph H. and Carol F. Reich, L'Oreal USA, Inc., Rose M. Badgeley Residuary Charitable Trust, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, George and Frances Armour Foundation, Michael Tuch Foundation, Jewish Community Youth Foundation, the Theatre Development Fund's TAP Plus program in cooperation with the New York State Council on the Arts, The Jewish Museum Volunteer Organization, and other donors. We gratefully acknowledge public support from: New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Council Member Daniel R. Garodnick, Council Member Brad Lander, Council Member Mark Weprin, and other City Council Members. The Access Family Workshop is made possible by the J.E. and Z.B. Butler Foundation.

About The Jewish Museum
Widely admired for its exhibitions and educational programs that inspire people of all backgrounds, The Jewish Museum is the preeminent United States institution exploring the intersection of 4,000 years of art and Jewish culture. The Jewish Museum was established in 1904, when Judge Mayer Sulzberger donated 26 ceremonial art objects to The Jewish Theological Seminary of America as the core of a museum collection. Today, the Museum maintains an important collection of 26,000 objects-paintings, sculpture, works on paper, photographs, archaeological artifacts, ceremonial objects, and broadcast media.

General Information
Museum hours are Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, 11am to 5:45pm; Thursday, 11am to 8pm; and Friday, 11am to 4pm. Museum admission is $12.00 for adults, $10.00 for senior citizens, $7.50 for students, free for children under 12 and Jewish Museum members. Admission is free on Saturdays. For general information on The Jewish Museum, the public may visit the Museum's website at http://www.thejewishmuseum.org or call 212.423.3200. The Jewish Museum is located at 1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, Manhattan.