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The Hanukkah Festival of Lights with the "bubales – Hanukkah Show!" Première

Press Information

Press Release, Fri 30 Nov 2012

Hanukkah falls from 9 to 16 December this year. The Jewish Museum Berlin is celebrating the festival with several events and a première – on Sunday 2 December, the "bubales – Hanukkah Show!" created especially for the Museum will be performed for the first time. The puppet show for children and adults illustrates the background and traditions of the Hanukkah festival with funny songs and colorful puppets. Three further "bubales" performances will follow until 27 December.

Children learn how Hanukkah (in Hebrew: consecration) is celebrated in different countries and about the Hanukkah miracle on a festival tour. In the workshop that follows, each child can make its own candle to take home. There will also be a Hanukkia at the Jewish Museum Berlin. The first candle will be lit on 8 December at dusk and a further candle will be lit on each of the seven consecutive evenings.

Contact

Press office
T +49 (0)30 259 93 419
presse@jmberlin.de

Address

Jewish Museum Berlin Foundation
Lindenstraße 9–14
10969 Berlin

The "bubales – Hanukkah Show" Première

The art educationist Shlomit Tulgan founded Berlin’s first Jewish puppet show in 2011 and named it "bubales." The word "bubales" is a play on both Hebrew and Yiddish words. In Hebrew, “buba” means doll or puppet and "bubale" in Yiddish means darling. The "bubales" are indeed puppets that soon win a place in the heart!

The bubales puppets, handmade of soft fleece and furry fabric, transport not only children but also adults to a colorful Jewish fantasy world. The stage is like a magic box full of changing scenic backgrounds and mysterious sounds and Jewish humor at times takes center stage, alluding also to current hot topics.

In December 2012, the "bubales – Hanukkah Show" can be seen at the Jewish Museum Berlin or will come to schools, kindergartens, or clubs.

Hanukkah – The Festival of the Temple’s Consecration, of the Lights and the Maccabees

December is not just the month of Christmas, but also of Hannukah, the eight-day Festival of the Lights. Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month Kislew and spans a period of eight days, for each of which a candle on the "Hanukkia" is lit with a special "Shamash" or "servant" candle. On the eve of the first day, the first candle is lit and then a further candle on each of the next seven evenings so that all eight candles are burning on the eighth evening. This festival remembers the miracle that happened thousands of years ago in the Temple of Jerusalem.

After the former Maccabees had freed themselves from their Greek occupier Antiochus, they consecrated their temple with just one small jug of oil. This amount of oil could only keep the holy light in the Temple of Jerusalem burning for one day. But the Menorah burned for not only one, but for all of the eight days until new oil could be obtained. This miracle is celebrated today with the nine-armed candlestick called a Hanukkia and numerous, deep-fried foods and sweet oil.

The Hanukkah Program at a Glance

2, 9, 16, 23, 27, and 28 December

Hanukkah – Festival of Lights!
Festival Workshop for Children of 6-12 Years

Each year at wintertime, the Jewish Festival of Lights comes around again. On this tour, the children learn how Hanukkah is celebrated in different countries, which children’s dishes are prepared for the festival, and about the Hanukkah miracle and the role played by the little pot of oil in the Jewish temple.
And then it is time to get creative! Each child can make its own candle to take home in the festive Hanukkah atmosphere.

Duration approx. 2 hours, from 11 am
Cost 3 euros incl. admission fee and handicraft materials
Meeting Point Old Building, "Meeting Point" in the foyer
Registration and information on tours (for non-journalists) Tel. +49 (0)30 259 93 305 or fuehrungen@jmberlin.de
2, 8, 15, and 27 December

The bubales – Hanukkah Show!
Hanukkah Puppet Show for Children from 6 Years and Adults

Colorful puppets and funny songs lead us through this Hanukkah show by the Jewish puppet theater "bubales." The redheaded Shlomo explores the background and traditions of Hanukkah with the help of his humorless but smart sheep, Mendel. For this, he questions his family, his rabbi, and his therapist. The clanging Shamash candle band creates a festive and fun atmosphere with its musical interludes.

Duration 1 hour, from 3 pm
Location Old Building, ground level, Auditorium
Cost 3 euros
Information and bookings Tel. +49 (0)30 259 93 305 or fuehrungen@jmberlin.de.
10 and 11 December

The bubales – Hanukkah Show! for School Classes and Kindergarten Groups

Duration 1 hour, from 11 am
Cost 3 euros
Information and Registration Tel. +49 (0)30 259 93 305 or fuehrungen@jmberlin.de.
8 to 15 December

The Lighting of the Hanukkah Candle

Hanukkah falls from 9 to 16 December this year. On the eve of each of these days, the Hanukkah candle is lit at sunset. On 8 and 15 December, this will take place directly after the puppet show.

Duration 10 mins, from 4 pm
Location Glass Courtyard, ground level
Admission free

Youtube videos on the Jewish Museum Berlin puppet show:
Die singende Shamash-Band
Die bubales

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