The whole country will light up over Hanukka with arts and culture events galore
of the passive and hands-on variety tailored to all tastes, interests, pockets,
modes of transport and ages.
The Eretz Israel Museum in Ramat Aviv is
offering plenty of fun and wholesome entertainment and activities for children
of all ages on December 9 –13, with items such as Looking for the Shamash, which
starts out with a story and evolves into an absorbing escapade.
Looking
for the Shamash is for kids aged five and above and their parents, while four to
nine-year olds should enjoy the Joseph’s Wonderful Coat musical based on a story
by Simms Taback. Elsewhere at the museum there is a range of creative workshop
activities, while the new planetarium will keep children six and over suitably
engrossed. (For details: (03) 641- 5244 and
www.eretzmuseum.org.il.)
In the North, the Mara Theater company in Kiryat Shmona is holding a puppet show
festival on December 10 and 11 based on productions by the Galilee Multicultural
Theater and the Tulik Theater company. The show lineup includes a performance of
Tulik’s The Fourth Charm, and Off the- shelf Stories and Celebration by the
Galilee Multicultural Theater. (For details: (04) 695-9659 and
www.t-mara.co.il.)
In the center of the country, Bialik House on
Bialik Street
in Tel Aviv offers a couple of walking tours and shows on December 9
–16. First
off, you can get a handle on the inner workings of Bialik House, which
will take on a special festival aura for the occasion. And
you can learn some lesser-known facts about Tel Aviv and its cultural
history on
a tour of Beit Ha’ir. Junior patrons will enjoy making hanukkiot at a
workshop
at the Bialik Compound, as well as the entertainment on offer with the
Animal
Store and Legend at the Lab shows. (For details: (03) 525-3403 and
www.beithair.org.)
Back up North, Haifa Theater, Mofa Theater and Ethos Haifa
Arts Culture and Sports Company are offering a three-day program of shows
(December 11-13) for families as part of the Sufgatron Festival. The lineup
includes theater productions and dance shows at the Carmel Center, Auditorium
Compound, Rapaport Hall and Hecht House. The roster features such shows as Tom
Thumb, Jack and the Beanstalk, Apartment for Rent and Keeper of the Chicks. (For
details: (04) 860- 0500,
www.ht1.co.il and
www.mofa.org.il.)
And there is more
quality entertainment to be had when the Israeli Opera puts on a new production
of Mozart’s The Magic Flute in Nazareth Illit on December 8 and 9 at the
Berkowitz Community Center. Admission is free. The event is part of the Opera
House’s community outreach program, which brings operatic entertainment to
communities around the country. The Nazareth Illit production will also
involve many local residents of all ages, who will join forces with seasoned
Israeli Opera soloists. (For details: (04) 646- 7468; (03) 692-777 and
www.israel-opera.co.il.)
In the region around Modi’in, the In the Footsteps of the Maccabees Festival has plenty of free guided tours,
in cooperation with the JNF, to places such as the Maccabees’ Graves in the Ben-
Shemen Forest. The tour also includes an exciting performance of Asphalt
Theater’s The Last of the Rebels, which incorporates ancient texts with
acrobatics, music, juggling and humor. The festival events will also be seasoned
with actors dressed in costumes of yore.
(Advance registration is
required at:
www.thm.org.il)
Patrons can also get into some of the smaller and more bashful specimens of
local wildlife at the Bnei Or Uvnei Hoshech (Creatures of Light and Creatures of
Darkness) activity at Tel Hadid. On December 12, herpetologist Dr. Boaz Shoham
will enlighten his audiences about the lives of a range of smaller reptiles that
spend most of their time in the dark, hiding under rocks and
stones. (Advance registration is required at: www.thm.org.il.). You can
also get to see more of the local landscapes on December 11-13 at the outdoor
buggy and ATV ride activities. (For registration: 057-777-3038.) There are many
more activities all round the region on the festival program. (For
details: (03) 972-8999 and
www.thm.org.il.)
Over in the capital, The Train
Theater has plenty of fun stuff for children and their parents, with its kids
program from December 9 –13. Shows on offer include Where Is
Mrs. Gabai? I Dreamt of Animals at Night, The Dream Trackers and the
awardwinning Wiseguys. There will also be hands-on slots where kids can make
hanukkiot and figures for a shadow theater production of Peter and the Wolf.
Shows will take place at the Train Theater, as well as nearby Yemin Moshe and
Mishkenot Sha’ananim. (For details: (02) 561- 8514 ext. 8 and
www.traintheater.co.il)
Meanwhile, just down the road, Beit Shmuel has lined up
a program of walks and Hanukka activities through numerous parts of Jerusalem,
including the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, Nahlaot, the Bukharan District,
Zichron Moshe and Geula. (For details: (02) 620- 3463/1.)
You can also head
south to the fresh air and open spaces of the Arava. Between December 11 – 13,
the Timna National Park is offering families the chance to play archeologist at
a site in the park. Participants can get their hands dirty with some
excavating, checking and sifting through ancient remains, and gain some
knowledge about the science from professional archeologists. Younger visitors
can also create their own hanukkiot and mosaics, and there will be guided walks
through the park. (For details: (08) 631-6756 and
www.timna-park.co.il.)
Elsewhere in the region, the outdoor Desert Film Festival will take place
December 6 – 8 at Tzukim, with a special focus on westerns, including a couple
of new Israeli productions in the genre. (For details: 052-366-5935 and
www.aravaff.co.il.)
Back up North, there will be an abundance of gastronomic
delights, workshops and tours at the eighth annual Ta’am Kinneret Festival on
December 6-16. (For details: (04) 675-2727 and
www.kinneret.info)