Nowadays, it seems like everyone knows about Chanukah! And, while there is a debate as to how to spell the name of this joyous holiday (see here), for tens of thousands of Jews, one thing they can agree upon is that between latkes, sufganiyot, and chocolate coins—the food associated with Chanukah is delicious! If you are looking to draw people into your building, let alone have them attend a Chanukah Fair or listen to a lecture about Chanukah from a visiting rabbi, you can try and reach people by singing something and praying that you become “the next Maccabeats” or you can consider using food to draw people in to your building and events. For example, you may want to host a jelly doughnut taste testing, latke eating competition (see here), or other such events that depend on if you are catering to families or college students.
What’s more, the use of holiday food, and in particular, jelly doughnuts, can even be something that you can use when it comes to fundraising. For years, Elie Klein has been eating jelly doughnuts for charity. In fact, as reported here, Klein raised $10,000 by eating 105 jelly doughnuts! While he recently tweeted that this year will be his last year (see here), you and your organization may want to consider how you can do more to entice people to strengthen their affiliation with you/your organization in other ways that ultimately can help you raise funds for future events and strengthen your relationships in your local Jewish community.
