christmas trees
toby belfer never had a christmas tree
toby belfer never had a christmas tree . hers was the only jewish family in the little country town where she lived with her parents and grandmother . the belfers celebrated hanukka they didnt celebrate christmas like the rest of the families in town . toby invited all of her friends to join in her familys hanukkah celebration just as she joined in theirs by trimming their christmas trees and singing christmas carols . with toby and her family as their hosts all of the children of the town learned about hanukka and about the unique and fascinating traditions and customs that all jewish families share . they learned about the menorah and the special blessings to offer the lord when lighting the menorah candles ; they learned how to play a traditional jewish game by spinning a top called a dreidel ; and they learned the story of how the jewish people gained religious freedom . all of the children had a wonderful time learning and listening and playing games and eating scrumptious food in the end everyone was happy that toby belfer never had a christmas tree . this delightful tale is an explanation of hanukkah and how one family celebrated the holiday in a small non jewish southern town . for children 5 8 the book includes the complete rules for the game of dreidel and instructions for building a menorah . gloria teles pushker was born in new orleans louisiana . she received a b.a. from loyola university in new orleans and later earned a master of education degree with a concentration in childrens literature from the university of new orleans . also available on audiocassette .
living in a small louisiana town where hers is the only jewish family toby belfer gives a party for her friends in order to explain hannukah including the story of judah maccabee the significance of the menorah how to make potato latkas and how to play the game of dreydl.the story of a young girl and her family who teach her friends about the traditions of hanukkah includes rules for the game of dreidel a recipe for potato latkas and instructions for building a menorah