Apps For A Fabulous Hanukkah

You know that Hanukkah is almost here, but how about the story behind the holiday? Why do we celebrate the Festival of Lights? Teach your children about the brave Maccabees with this universal book app. Read aloud to your child or have the app do the reading. Music and games accompany the story.

You’re set on the history, now you need to think about gifts for your loved ones! Import names from your contacts, customize your gift list and budget, and keep track of what you’ve bought for whom. Let your iPhone/iPod touch keep you organized this year!

Sure, there are plenty of recipe apps out there, many of which contain some recipes for Hanukkah. This universal app, however, is exclusively focused on Hanukkah and and other Jewish dishes, with over 100 recipes from both Ashkenazic (like Hungarian Cheese Latkes) and Sephardic (Moroccan Hanukkah Donuts) traditions.

What’s Hanukkah without a friendly game of Dreidel? Of course we always lose those little spinning tops from year to year, so why not replace them with an app for your iPhone/iPod touch? Super Dreidel to the rescue! Not only is it a virtual dreidel, but the app actually allows you to enter the players’ names (up to 8) and track your scores. You can even listen to the classic dreidel song as you play. Pop Quiz: What do the letters on the dreidel mean? The represent the phrase, “A great miracle happened there”. Unless you live in Israel, in which case you should download their other app, Super Dreidel Israel Edition, because the letters will instead stand for “A great miracle happened here”.

OK, you’ve played dreidel until you just can’t play anymore. How about some other games to amuse the children? Little ones will get a kick out of this Hanukkah-themed memory/matching game for iPhone/iPod touch.

Another amusing game for the kids is this universal Hanukkah-themed sliding puzzle. Put together photos of a menorah, a dreidel, and some gelt.

Does your little one love to color? Whip out this app for some Hanukkah coloring fun. Much more than a coloring book, this app actually teaches your child some basic words (numbers, colors, shapes) in nearly a dozen different languages. It’s free and universal, so any Jewish iDevice owner celebrating with little ones should pick this one up!

Lighting the hanukkiah/menorah is, of course, one of the essential mitzvot of Hanukkah. There are many apps that recreate this experience virtually. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Jewish home without a real hanukkiah, but in case you are traveling during part of Hanukkah and don’t wish to schlep the real thing, you can grab one of these apps instead. This lovely universal app lets you choose a beautiful hanukkiah, a background, and light your virtual candles with a swipe of the finger. A brief description of the holiday as well as the first night of Hanukkah each year through 2020 can be found in the information section. It also includes the blessings in English, Hebrew, and transliteration.

This menorah app will also be fully functional once Hanukkah begins, but download it now to practice the prayers, which are written in Hebrew, English, and transliteration. What really makes this app stand out is the beautiful audio — in addition to the prayers, you are also treated to Ma’oz Tzur, all of which are sung by Mo Kiss.

Looking for a Hanukkah app with a little bit of everything? Chai on Chanukah, created by a new father for his own son, is just that. Play dreidel, light a menorah, play a silly gift game, and learn about the Maccabees, Hanukkah traditions, and even the reason for all the different Hanukkah/Chanukah spellings!

With a more educational focus, iHanukkah helps children learn the blessings (including the Shehecheyanu) in Hebrew, by using flash cards and listening to the prayers being chanted. You can also record yourselves saying the blessings if you like. Finally, two simple matching games help children learn the Hebrew words of the prayers and the symbols of Hanukkah.