The Panzer Hanukkah Party began as a "cousins club” sixty one years ago in 1958 and has become a family tradition that is still going strong in 2019. An official cloth banner is displayed proudly during the party which reminds everyone of the importance of the holiday and our heritage. My father’s family hosts this annual event and all my relatives from near and far come together in a hotel ballroom for a big reunion. At the party, the youngest child reads the Hanukkah story and we say the blessings while lighting candles on the menorah. We play games, and my favorite is Bingo, but we change the letters to “Panzo” instead. We eat lots of latkes and sing Hanukkah songs that we all enjoy, and of course share presents. In my family, this event is truly valued as we not only get to celebrate this significant holiday in the Jewish religion, but we get to catch up with family that we don't get to see very often. I look forward to our Hanukkah Party every year. This tradition has given me the opportunity to bond with my extended family and when I see the banner hanging it connects me to the past as well.

– AP

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more