Gallery: Israel the beautiful - Hanukka delights

Any holiday that celebrates light should be a delight to photographers. And Hanukka doesn’t disappoint. The central mitzva of Hanukka is publicizing the miracle. Around the world, millions of hanukkiot are placed in windows and public areas, giving photographers easy access to capture their beauty.

Candlelight is a beautiful source of illumination, whether lighting up the faces of young children or the quaint alleyways of old Jerusalem. The dim lighting often necessitates the use of a tripod, but even shooting handheld, the flames and colorful candles offer a myriad of composition and expression.

Hanukka delights       

Yehoshua Halevi 

A young boy lights a menorah on the eighth night of the Hanukka. Many families have adopted the tradition of each member of the household lighting his or her own menora.

Yehoshua Halevi 

A hanukkia is placed outside the door of an apartment in the Jewish Quarter of the old city of Jerusalem.

Yehoshua Halevi 

Candles on a large hotel menora burn brightly on the third night of Hanukka. Smaller hanukkiot lit by guests illuminate the background.

Yehoshua Halevi 

One resident of Jerusalem’s old city built this unique platform to hold nine hanukkiot, seen here alit on the final night of the festival.

Yehoshua Halevi 

A man lights oil lamps inside a glass housing which protects the flames from wind and rain.

Yehoshua Halevi 

This photo is an artistic view of the menora, captured out of focus on the final night of the holiday.

Yehoshua Halevi 

A resident of Jerusalem kindles his oil lamps just outside his home in the Jewish Quarter.

Yehoshua Halevi 

Street scene in the old city during Hanukka. Oil lamps burn late into the night throughout the Jewish Quarter.

Yehoshua Halevi 

On the fourth night of the festival, candles burn in a hotel lobby.

Yehoshua Halevi 

Colorful paraffin and glass vessels combine to form this unique menora, seen in a window box in the Jewish Quarter.

Yehoshua Halevi 

A mother and child light a menora displayed in a window overlooking a courtyard in the Jewish Quarter.

This gallery features a selection of some of my favorite menorah images from the past several years, most notably from visits to the Old City of Jerusalem on the eighth night of the holiday, when all eight candles or oil lamps are burning bright. May the light of the menorah renew our faith in miracles.

Yehoshua Halevi has worked more than 25 years as a professional photojournalist, teacher, mentor and photographer of lifecycle events. His credits include a distinguished list of international clientele, including major publications, highlighted by National Geographic, as well as non-profit organizations, corporations and private individuals. Now forming introductory Digital Photography courses in Jerusalem and Gush Etzion. For full course description, please email smile@goldenlightimages.com.