Hanukkah Celebration
December 18 – 26, 2022
Join us as we celebrate Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights! Gather with us every evening to light the menorah and join together with music, led by local musicians and cantors.
The Hanukkah celebration continues with cooking demonstrations and tastings presented by the Mohonk culinary team. Our dining menus will feature a special option to honor this holiday. Plus cookie decorating, daily crafts from the front desk, movies, and so much more!
PAST PROGRAM LEADERS
Livia Drapkin Vanaver and Bill Vanaver
The Vanavers offer a joyful collection of Hanukkah songs and dances to enliven the ritual of the Festival of Lights at Mohonk. They are founder/directors of The Vanaver Caravan, a company of dancers and musicians who present traditional and folk-based dance and music and offer programs in schools, theatres and festivals throughout the US and abroad. Livia was a member of the Hebraica Dancers, in residence at the 92nd Street Y. She has taught Israeli Folk Dance and World Dance at colleges, universities and in schools as part of an extensive Arts Education program. She is a recipient of the Federation of Reconstructionist Congregations and Havurot Tof Miriam Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to Synagogue Life. The Vanaver Caravan was featured in the 2019 Conney Conference on Jewish Arts and often appears at the Annual Israeli Dance Festival. Livia is also on the Board of Advisers for the Network for the Advancement and Perpetuation of Jewish Culture.
Suzanne Bernstein
This is Cantor Bernstein’s third year lighting the Hanukkah candles at Mohonk Mountain House. She was the spiritual leader of Progressive Temple Ahavath Sholom, Brooklyn, NY until relocating to Catskill, NY in 2018. Ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cantor Bernstein has also been on the clergy team of congregations in Manhattan, Staten Island, New Jersey and Long Island. Her folksy, participatory style reflects the influence of her personal musical role models, Pete Seeger and Debbie Friedman. She was the subject of Harvey Wang’s delightful short documentary, “The Cantor’s Last Cantata,” which was shown at the New York Jewish Film Festival, the Lower East Side Film Festival, and the “Everyday Aria Festival” in London, UK.
Renee Finkelstein
Also known as Radharani, Renee Finkelstein is a multi-disciplinary artist who weaves music, ritual, spiritual teachings, and practices to help people stay connected to their hearts and innate wisdom. As a vocalist and producer, she has performed with well-known artists include Kirtan Rabbi, Wah!, Sirgun Kaur, and many others. She has produced two original albums, the latest of which, “Time to Wake Up”, topped billboard New Age charts. Renee holds a BA cum laude from Cornell University and is a Hebrew Priestess in training at the Kohenet Institute.