Curl Up With Hershel And The HanukkahHershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric A Kimmel is a delightful addition to the Jewish holiday. Hershel of Ostropol has been traveling for days through cold and snowy nights, eagerly hoping to find a nearby village to settle in before the first night of Hanukkah begins. As lucky would have it, on the first night of Hanukkah, Hershel does find a village, but is sadly disappointed and perplexed as to why the village is so dark and dismal and with the village people having no intention whatsoever of celebrating the first day of Hanukkah or any of the following seven days of the celebration for that matter. When Hershel presses the townspeople for an answer, they tell him that they used to celebrate Hanukkah every year in their synagogue, but discontinued doing so because of the holiday hating, hill dwelling hobgoblins that go around the town ruining everyone’s Hanukkah celebrations by blowing out their menorahs, destroying their dreidels and tossing out their potato latkas. Upon hearing all of this terrible news of wicked goblins, Hershel is determined to put a stop to the nonsense once and for all. After reassuring the townspeople that he will reclaim their Hanukkah celebrations for them, Hershel finds himself all alone in a crumbling synagogue on the first night of Hanukkah. He lights the first candle of the menorah and waits for the goblins to show their faces. When the first nasty Goblin arrives, he is a measly little fellow who Hershel scares off without a thought. The following few nights have additional goblins visiting, all trying to outwit Hershel and put out the menorah candles which he has lit additional ones every night. Although these goblins were tricky, they were not as smart as Hershel and he outwitted them all. On the night before the final night of Hanukkah, Hershel receives a message from the Goblin King stating that if he does not leave, this will be his last night on earth. Though nervous, Hershel bravely stayed put and proved that he was too clever of a match for the Goblin king and his wicked little cronies. Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins is a wonderful story which proves that good really does triumph over evil. This story will be enjoyed by your little goblins at every Hanukkah celebration.
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