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40º | Mostly cloudy | 8% chance of sleet | Sunrise 7:14 a.m. | Sunset 4:21 p.m.
 

Celebrating Hanukkah at the Gates of Heaven

Celebrating Hanukkah by visiting Madison’s Gates of Heaven
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Gates of Heaven is one of the oldest synagogue buildings in the country. | Photo by 608today
Hanukkah begins on Thursday, Dec. 7, and continues through Friday, Dec. 15.

In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication.” It is a holiday that marks the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC.

There is a small building located at James Madison Park, passed by thousands of drivers along East Gorham Street every day.

Many may not realize that the building has been dedicated to the Jewish faith for a long while. It’s called Gates of Heaven and is the fourth oldest surviving synagogue building in the nation.

Now owned by the City of Madison, let’s go back in time and learn about the history of our local Jewish community with eight tidbits for each of a menorah’s eight candles.
  • His name was Jacob Franks, the first known Jew in Wisconsin. He came to Green Bay around 1794.
  • Soon after Madison became the capital, Jews began arriving. The first known Jew in Madison was merchant Aaron Boskowitz, around 1850.
  • When Madison was still a village of around 2,300 people, in the year 1856, 17 Jewish families formed the city’s first synagogue, known as Shaarei Shamayim (Gates of Heaven).
  • By 1863, there were about 40 Jewish households in Madison. They formed a burial society, a women’s auxiliary, and hoped to build a new synagogue.
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The Gates of Heaven Synagogue was dedicated in 1863 and was on West Washington Avenue | Wisconsin Historical Society, WHI-36491

  • On West Washington Avenue, in the fall of 1863, they did just that with a dedication service for a synagogue.
  • The building was designed by August Kutzbock, a German immigrant who also built Madison’s first city hall and its second capital building.
  • The congregation, however, struggled financially. In subsequent years it’s been used by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, various churches, a funeral home, and as a US government warehouse.
Wisconsin Historical Society, WHI-1821.jpeg

In 1971, the Gates of Heaven Synagogue building was moved to its current location at James Madison Park | Wisconsin Historical Society, WHI-1821

  • The building, threatened by demolition, was saved in 1971 by the work of the Gates of Heaven Preservation Fund. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, it was moved from West Washington Avenue to its current location.
Gates of Heaven is now a popular space for special events and weddings.

To those that celebrate, chag sameach.
Events
Wednesday, Dec. 6
  • Creative Connections Madison | Wednesday, Dec. 6 | 10-11:30 a.m. | 100state, 17 S. Fairchild St., Fl. 7, Madison | Free | If you’re a small business owner, learn about how to thrive in the market.
  • Jake Shimabukuro: Christmas in Hawai’i | Wednesday, Dec. 6 | 7:30-10 p.m. | Stoughton Opera House, 381 E. Main St., Stoughton | $40 | You can see a ukulele master play pleasing holiday music.
Thursday, Dec. 7
Friday, Dec. 8
  • The Little Matchstick Girl Ballet | Friday, Dec. 8-Sunday, Dec. 10 | Times vary | Oregon Performing Arts Center, 456 N. Perry Pkwy., Oregon | $17-$23 | Enjoy the holiday season with a family-friendly adaptation of a Hans Christian Andersen classic.
  • Isidore String Quartet | Friday, Dec. 8 | 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St., Madison | $8-$66 | Listen to Brahms, Beethoven, and more from a fresh chamber orchestra.
Saturday, Dec. 9
  • Starkweather Brewing & Stalzy’s Deli’s SASY Saturdays | Saturday, Dec. 9 | 12-10 p.m. | Starkweather Brewing Co., 2439 Atwood Ave., Madison | Cost of purchase | At Stalzy’s, purchase a SwBC beer-braised brisket sandwich and receive a BOGO coupon for a SwBC beer. At SwBC, buy a SASY Chicken Sandwich and receive a $1-off Stalzy’s coupon.
Sunday, Dec. 10
  • Drag Bingo | Sunday, Dec. 10 | 2-4 p.m. | The Rigby, 119 E. Main St., Madison | $5 | Enjoy bingo + bloody marys during this event sponsored by Delta Beer Lab.
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
 
News Notes
Sports
  • The Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team, ranked No. 3 in the country, has advanced to round of 16 in the NCAA tournament, after defeating Jackson State. They’ll play Penn State tomorrow, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m. at the UW Field House.
Civic
  • One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, the saying goes. Treasure the fact, then, that the city of Madison’s 2024/25 recycling and trash collection schedule calendar is now available for download or via mail.
Community
  • What would a pedestrian mall on State Street look like? The city has some ideas. The experimental mall will be put into place in the summer of 2024. City planners say the design will make the iconic street more essential to the city by eliminating all vehicle traffic. (Channel 3000)
Cause
  • Centro Hispano, a local nonprofit in Madison that provides a range of programs and services to support Dane County’s Latinx population, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. While the anniversary event is sold out, you can stop by the Mercadito this Thursday to show the organization some love. (Wisconsin State Journal)
List
  • Grace Stanke must have a lot of energy. The 2023 Miss America from Wisconsin, and UW-Madison nuclear engineering student, is on this year’s Forbes 30 under 30 North America 2024 Energy list. Stanke has used her platform to help change public perceptions about nuclear energy. (Badger Herald)
Asked
  • Will Lake Mendota freeze over on Christmas like it did last year? Or, perhaps, in the early days of 2024? The Clean Lakes Alliance is offering $1,000 Lands’ End gift cards to correct freeze date guesses. (Wisconsin State Journal)
Ranked
  • Las Vegas is fun. New York City is fun. Miami, too. But, also, Madison. WalletHub recently put Madison at No. 60 on its list of “Most Fun Cities in America.” The rank was based on such key metrics as movie costs, fitness centers per capita, and average business hours of breweries. (We Are Green Bay)
Finance
  • There’s cash back, and then there’s unlimited 1.5% cash back. This card has that, plus a $200 bonus and 0% intro APR until 2025. (Oh, and did we mention the annual fee? No — because there isn’t one.) Learn more + apply.*
Shop
  • Health.com called this vibrator the “Rolls Royce Of Sex Toys” — and it’s also clinically proven to improve arousal and alleviate dryness. Get it for 30% off ahead of the holidays.*
Pets
  • Step one of your dog’s wellness journey: Nom Nom. The vet nutritionist-developed meals are perfectly portioned for a vibrant, joyful life. Get 50% off your first order.*
 
Arts

Arts

Music to Madisonian ears: free concerts
Inside the Hamel Music Center at UW-Madison.jpg
The students and staff at UW-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music perform frequently for Madisonians to enjoy. | Photo by 608today
Listen, if you want to hear some great music most any day of the week, oftentimes for free, we know a place.

Concerts are held frequently at the Hamel Music Center, presented by the Mead Witter School of Music. Performances might include:

📯 Bands
The symphony orchestra plays on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

🥁 Chamber Ensembles
There is a chamber percussion performance tonight at 7:30 p.m.

♯ Choirs
The school’s choirs had their winter concerts this last weekend.

🎺 Jazz
The Blue Note Ensemble plays at Cafe CODA on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.

🎶 Opera
I have a good Aida, you should watch their coming opera workshop performance on April 9, 2024.

🎻 Orchestras
All-university strings has a performance on Sunday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Check out the full calendar of events.
The Buy

The Buy 12.06.23 (Affiliate + Six & Main)
Anything on sale for Six & Main’s Deal of the Day. Each day, unlock a new deal on a specialty, locally-made item. Today’s deal? Get 20% off our earring collection.
Answered

In Monday’s newsletter, we asked how many different types of snow shovels you own. Here’s what you said:
608today - snow shovel poll - dec 2023.png

Here’s the scoop. We’re not the only ones, it seems, who want a different shovel based on the type and amount of snow that falls.
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The Wrap
 
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Today’s edition by:
Jonathan
From the editor
Having gone to a few UW-Madison concerts, I have thoughts of taking my old trombone out of storage. It’s been awhile since I played fight songs and Sousa marches with it. Maybe I’ll see if there are community bands I can join (there are).

Jonathan Shipley Playing the Trombone.jpeg
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