Arrive, settle in, light, and move into Shabbos together.
We will keep the arrival flow simple: get comfortable, meet the group, light for Hanukkah, daven and sit down to a long Friday-night meal.
Hanukkah / Chanukah 5787 · First nights
Hanukkah First Nights Shabbos.For young Jewish professionals
A small, immersive Shabbos weekend built around candle lighting, long kosher meals, davening, a Sefer Torah, board games and the kind of conversations that happen when the same group actually spends the weekend together.
December 4–6, 2026 · Friday to SundayFirst access
Join the Hanukkah weekend interest list.
We are still choosing the location and finalizing the venue, group size, lodging and price. Joining the list is free. It puts you first in line for the full details when the weekend opens.
Hanukkah ShabbosDecember 4–6, built as a full weekend rather than a one-night event.
Board-game centeredGames are part of how the group meets and spends the weekend, not an afterthought.
YJP groupPrimarily Jewish young adults and professionals in their 20s and 30s.
Full Shabbos setupWe bring a Sefer Torah and build davening, kosher meals and the Shabbos rhythm into the weekend.
The format
Not a Hanukkah party. A Shabbos people actually live inside for a weekend.
A lot of young-professional Hanukkah programming is built around one loud night. This is deliberately different. Hamsa Nomads is building a Friday-to-Sunday weekend where the same group lights, eats, davens, plays and spends unhurried time together.
The social part is not a cocktail hour you have to work. It is the board-game table after lunch, the person you keep ending up next to at meals, a late conversation after everyone else has moved rooms, and another round because nobody is ready to stop.
The goal: immersive, not over-programmed.Shabbos and Hanukkah give the weekend its rhythm. We bring a Sefer Torah, build davening and kosher meals into the weekend, and use board games as a natural way for the group to spend time together. The exact schedule stays intentionally loose.
FormatFriday–Sunday immersive Shabbos
AudienceYoung Jewish professionals
Social anchorBoard games + long meals
Jewish setupSefer Torah · davening · kosher meals
StatusInterest list open
Board-game immersion
The game table is part of the program.
We want this weekend to work even if you arrive knowing nobody. Games create an easy way into the room: you can sit down, learn something in five minutes, stay for a strategy round, or watch until you feel like joining.
Easy-entry tablesFast social games that let people rotate in without a long explanation.
Strategy tablesLonger games for people who actually want to settle in and play.
Whole-group momentsOne or two bigger games that can pull the house together without making every activity mandatory.
Still ShabbosThe weekend is not a gaming convention. We bring a Sefer Torah; meals, davening, learning and downtime remain central.
The weekend rhythm
Hanukkah light, Shabbos pace, and a lot of room to actually be together.
We are intentionally keeping the public schedule broad while the location is still being selected. The final timing will depend on the venue, candle-lighting times and the group.
What to expect
A real Shabbos weekend, not a packed itinerary.
Expect Hanukkah candle lighting, davening with our Sefer Torah, long kosher meals, board games, learning, downtime and a relaxed Saturday-night continuation after Shabbos. Exact times and individual activities will come later.
Davening, meals, board games and time that is not over-scheduled.
We bring a Sefer Torah for the weekend. Shabbos will revolve around davening, shared meals, a lot of board-game time, learning, conversation and room to choose your own pace.
Hanukkah continues after Shabbos.
After Havdalah, expect menorah lighting, food, games and a more open late-night house atmosphere — without turning the weekend into a separate party.
A relaxed final morning.
Breakfast, final games, packing and departures. We will publish the actual check-in and check-out windows once the venue is confirmed.
YJP by design
A young-professional weekend without making the room feel like a networking event.
The weekend is aimed primarily at Jewish young adults and young professionals in their 20s and 30s. You can come on your own, with a friend or with a partner. The point is that the format gives people repeated, low-pressure time together instead of one short event where everyone has to make an impression immediately.
If you have searched for a YJP Hanukkah event, Chanukah Shabbaton or Jewish young-professional weekend and wanted something more immersive than a party, this is the lane we are building.
Come solo?Yes
Come with a friend?Yes
Drop-in event?No · full weekend
Room selection?After venue confirmation
The Hamsa part
One house, the same people, enough time to become a group.
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“Thank you Moshe and Leah for a beautiful Shavuos!!! We had the best time!! So nice meeting everyone.”Previous Hamsa Nomads retreat guest
The holiday changes. The core idea does not: a curated group, shared meals, Jewish rhythm and enough unstructured time for people to actually get comfortable.
Questions
What we know so far.
The interest list is open before the venue and pricing are final. We will update this page as those details are confirmed.
Is this a Hanukkah party?
No. The plan is a full Friday-to-Sunday Shabbos weekend. There can be energy on Saturday night, but the identity is an immersive house weekend, not a one-night party.
Who is the weekend for?
Primarily Jewish young adults and young professionals in their 20s and 30s. People can come solo, with friends or with a partner.
Are board games really central?
Yes. Board games are one of the main social anchors. We are planning a mix of easy-entry games, strategy/social tables and a larger optional group game.
Is this a full kosher Shabbos?
Yes. The weekend is being built around kosher meals, Shabbos, davening and Hanukkah candle lighting. We bring a Sefer Torah with us for the weekend. Final venue-specific logistics will be published once the location is confirmed.
Where is it?
The final location is still being selected. Interest-list members will receive the venue, transportation, lodging and pricing details first.
How much does it cost?
Pricing is not final yet. Joining the interest list is free and does not commit you to a room or payment.
December 4–6, 2026
Want the first details when the house opens?
Join the Hanukkah First Nights Shabbos interest list. We will send the location, lodging choices, price and final program when they are ready.