Chanukah at Ma’ayanot is a yearly highlight. This year, Ma’ayanot’s Chanukah activities challenged students to be “a spark in the dark,” to bring light to hard times and shine with goodness, building on the year’s theme of “Ma’alin BaKodesh—Be the Light.” Chanukah began with inspirational words from Head of School CB Neugroschl, who encouraged students to “tap into the nissim ba-zeman ha-zeh, the past year of hope and courage, losses and faith.” Sophomore Layla Eisenberg shared with the school that “Chanukah teaches that a small group can make a big difference. It’s not always easy to stand strong in our values, but we can ‘live Chanukah’ by bringing light to others.”

Ma’ayanot also hosted world-famous singer Nissim Black, co-sponsored by the Ma’ayanot Parent Council, who electrified the students with his songs and words of inspiration. Ma’ayanot’s annual Chanukah pep rally, organized by Coach Jen Sanders, celebrated Ma’ayanot’s 13 sports teams and also broke out Ma’ayanot’s entirely student-run “Chalympics,” Chanukah Olympics—a fun inter-grade competition. G.O. Executive Board members, juniors Chana Isaacs and Miri Kilimnick, explained that “Chalympics united our school by bringing grades together through sports, teamwork and fun. It was the ‘spark in the dark’ to light up everyone’s Chanukah!”

Chanukah concluded with an action-packed day, including a musical Hallel led by Six13’s Mordy Weinstein; a delicious Chanukah breakfast; a Lev HaChanukah event in which each class in Ma’ayanot’s acclaimed Lev HaShavua program shared learning and a Chanukah party, and the conclusion of Ma’ayanot’s annual Dreidel Madness tournament.

Aliza Adler, director of student activities, who coordinated all of Ma’ayanot’s Chanukah programming, reflected, “Chanukah exemplifies what makes Ma’ayanot special. It combines Torah learning, meaningful and fun programming and student-driven events. Chanukah at Ma’ayanot gives each student a chance to find her own spark and see where she can shine.”