Skirball Virtual Hanukkah Will Feature Puppets & Psychedelic Funk

SHERMAN OAKS, CA — A pandemic isn't stopping the Skirball Center from putting together a lively Hanukkah celebration. On Sunday, the center is putting on a virtual celebration featuring a cooking demonstration, puppet show, and psychedelic funk sing-along.

From 11 to noon, author and teacher Amelia Saltman will provide a live cooking demonstration of Hanukkah treats from all over the world.

From 3 p.m. onward, the Los Angeles-based Mostly Kosher band will play klezmer tunes, while Israeli psychedelic funk artist Gili Yalo will play new songs. There will also be a puppet show telling the Hanukkah story, a community candle-lighting, and Hanukkah sing-along.

Participants can also vie for prizes at the beginning of the program, and view videos of families partaking in Hanukkah fun, from frying latkes to teaching pets the story of Hanukkah.

“How do you capture a program that regularly serves over a thousand families laughing, dancing and eating together into a moment online,” Skirball Director of Education Rachel Stark told The Jewish Journal. “We tried to capture the best of what the holiday is all about and what the Skirball experience is. We tried to package it in a way that felt of this moment and would be a chance for families to come near and far. Families can celebrate traditions and create new memories.”

The free event will start streaming on YouTube at 11 a.m. Sunday.