Hanukkah
5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Come together for an evening of art, music, and activities as we look forward to Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. Hanukkah starts on the evening of December 25 this year, but we’re getting a head start celebrating on Thursday, December 12, with a community gathering full of performances, art that highlights the diversity of Jewish cultures and identities, and much more.
Presented in partnership with the Jewish Arts Collaborative and Combined Jewish Philanthropies.
Special General Admission and “Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore” Pricing after 5 pm on December 12
Enjoy $5 minimum, pay-what-you-wish general admission (available in person day of, starting at 5 pm) and $5 minimum, pay-what-you-wish admission to “Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore” (advance exhibition tickets available online now).
Events and Activities
Resource Fair
5–8 pm
Shapiro Family Courtyard
Meet our community partners and learn about the resources and programs they offer. Partners include Jewish Arts Collaborative, Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, JCDS, Boston's Jewish Community Day School, and the Vilna Shul.
Drop-In Art Making: Shimmering Mixed-Media Collages
5–9 pm (last entry 8:45 pm)
Druker Family Pavillion
Explore texture and light while creating collages using metallic foil paper and oil pastels.
Those Who Stayed: Photography Pop-Up by Ilene Perlman
5–9 pm
Shapiro Family Courtyard
Using nine images to symbolize the Hanukkah menorah, Those Who Stayed features global Jewish communities, many of which have faced historical and political isolation yet maintain their devotion. The work pays tribute to the endurance and evolution of Jewish life around the world.
Hanukkah Parade
5:30 pm
Starts in Linde Family Wing, Level 1
Join musicians and dancers as they parade to Shapiro Family Courtyard in a Hanukkah procession through the galleries!
Face Painting
5:30–8:30 pm (last session at 8:20 pm)
Shapiro Family Courtyard
Wear Hanukkah happiness on your cheek!
Three in 30
5:30 and 7 pm
Meet in Sharf Visitor Center
Take a 30-minute tour exploring three objects in the MFA galleries that highlight and connect to Jewish heritage!
Available at 7pm
What Does Jewish Look Like?
5:30, 6:30, and 7:30 pm
Riley Seminar Room
Join author Liz Kleinrock for a conversation about her new book What Jewish Looks Like (HarperCollins, 2024)—a powerful intersectional anthology for children (and learners of all ages) that explores the unlimited and diverse ways to look and be Jewish. Hear Liz share excerpts from the book and gain insight into the stories of some of the incredible individuals featured!
Available at 5:30pm
The Boston Festival of New Jewish Music Presents: Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band and Friends, featuring “Gathering Sparks”
5:50–6:15, 6:45–7:15, and 8–8:30 pm
Shapiro Family Courtyard
Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band joins forces with top performers from around Boston for a Hanukkah spectacular full of music and dancing. Enjoy popular Hanukkah songs from across the Jewish world—in Yiddish, Ladino, Hebrew, and English—performed by an internationally acclaimed ensemble.
“Gathering Sparks” is a live performance piece choreographed by Rachel Linsky in collaboration with Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band. This work, centering joy and communal care, fuses elements of Yiddish folk dance with contemporary practice. Stick around after each set as Rachel and her dancers lead Yiddish dances to Hanukkah and Klezmer music. Join to watch "Gathering Sparks" at 5:50pm and 6:45pm. At 8pm, join the dancers in a Klezmer dance party.
Available at 8pm
Music by Yuval Gur and Lily Henley
6–6:30 and 7:15-7:45 pm
Gallery 168
Hear music spanning genres, mediums, and styles—including both Sephardic and American folk traditions—from musician and artist Yuval Gur and singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Lily Henley.
Hanukkah Blessing
6:15 pm
Shapiro Family Courtyard
Join Rabbi Marc Baker for pre-Hanukkah Blessing.
Spotlight Talks: An Ark from Boston’s History
6:30 pm
Gallery 231
Join Simona Di Nepi, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Curator of Judaica, in “Intentional Beauty: Jewish Ritual Art from the Collection” to hear the story of the rescue and recent acquisition of a historic Torah ark from Chelsea, Massachusetts.
Dining Specials
Enjoy a two- or three-course prix fixe menu at New American Café inspired by Hanukkah. Looking for a treat before or after dinner? Head to Taste for potato latkes with sour cream and apple sauce, sweet-and-savory kugel, and sufganiyot (jelly donuts). Taste is open until 9 pm on December 12. Dining specials are not kosher. Learn more about dining at MFA Boston.
Wheelchair accessible
Bag Checks
All bags are subject to inspection by Museum staff. Backpacks, large bags, all liquids including hand sanitizer and sunscreen, and outside food or drink are not permitted. Exceptions are made for medical or religious needs. All bags are strongly discouraged, and any bags larger than 11” x 15” must be checked in the Coat Room upon entry. Read our full bag check policy.
