MANHATTAN — There are still two candles left to light on the menorah and plenty of fun ways to enjoy the Jewish Festival of Lights in Manhattan.
Here's how to make the most of your remaining nights of Hanukkah:
Start your evening Monday and Tuesday by saying a bracha over the world's largest menorah, located at Grand Army Plaza at Fifth Avenue and West 59th Street near Central Park. Lightings take place at 5:30 p.m. each night through the end of the holiday.
On Monday, you also can enjoy a slightly less enormous, but no less impressive experience, at the giant chanukiah on the Fort Tyron subway terrace at 6:30 p.m. Chabad of Washington Heights will be on hand with latkes, jelly donuts, and some electric Maoz Tzur.
From there, head downtown to the Sixth Street Community Synagogue (325 E. 6th St.), where mixed-media performer Gerard Edery, Israeli collective Asefa and "Middle Eastern Balkan Blues Sextet" Oudblues will perform as a part of the ongoing annual Sephardic Music Festival celebrating Spanish, Middle Eastern and North African Jewish culture. The show starts at 7p.m. Tickets are $15.
Get your sticky hands on some of the city's best sufganiyot (or jelly donuts), the oft-overlooked Israeli cousin of the Ashkenazi latke, at Moishe's Bake Shop in the East Village at 115 Second Avenue. At $2 a pop, they're not the cheapest donuts in the city, but they'll definitely get you in the holiday spirit. The bakery is open from 7 a.m. to 8:45 in the evening.
Tuesday, skip the two-thousand year old tale of Hanukkah and hit up the Sephardic Story Slam instead. For $12 you can watch seasoned pros go head-to-head with starry-eyed amateurs in this no-holds barred gabfest beginning at 7 p.m. at the Triad Theater (158 West 72nd Street). The event, hosted by Comedy Central's Ophira Eisenberg, will feature 10 storytellers spinning six-minute yarns. Want to try your luck on stage? Email smf@shemspeed.com to enter.
Those with deeper pockets and more traditional tastes can try the Jewish Museum (1109 Fifth Avenue), where Frank London's Klezmer Brass Band Allstars perform at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 for non-members.
While there, check out the eclectic collection of Hanukkah lamps from around the world, selected by Where the Wild Things Are author Maurice Sendak. The show also includes two of the artist's drawings for "Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories," from 1966, and "In Grandpa's House," from 1985. The exhibit is open from 11 a.m. to 5:45p.m. Tickets are $7.50 students, $10.00 seniors, $12.00 adults, $12.00 general. Kids get in free.
Wednesday, make your way over to Kutsher's Tribeca, the new Jewish-American bistro at 186 Franklin St., where the chef whips up a different type of potato latke each night of Hanukkah, with toppings ranging from pear butter to melted leeks.
Before you pack up your menorah, get back to the holiday's roots with the Macabbees Annual Victory Celebration at Chabad of Washington Heights, 50 Overlook Terrace, at 7:30 p.m. To RSVP or for more information, RSVP online or call 212-781-3413.
