Halacha requires lighting Hanukah candles in the synagogue each evening during the holiday, and the person who lights the candles recites the standard Berachot over the lighting. The purpose of this lighting is to publicize the Hanukah miracle through a public display of the candles.
Halacha requires that ten people must be present in the synagogue to allow for lighting the Hanukah candles with the Berachot. The Mor U'kesia (Halachic work by Rabbi Yaakov Emden, 1697-1776) ruled that both men and women count towards this minimum required quorum. Since the purpose of this lighting is "Pirsum Ha'nes – the desire to publicize the Hanukah miracle, an obligation that applies equally to both men and women, the candles may be lit with the Berachot whenever ten adults are present, even if there are fewer than ten men. This is also the ruling of the Ben Ish Hai (Rabbi Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in his work Rav Pe'alim (vol. 2, 62). Hacham Ovadia Yosef ruled that even children who have reached the age of Hinuch (training in Misva performance), such as an eight or nine-year-old child, count towards the minimum required presence of ten people.
If ten people are present in the synagogue but some of them had already prayed and attended candle lighting in a different Minyan, may the candles be lit with the Berachot? Hacham Ovadia Yosef ruled that the candles may be lit with the Berachot in such a case, provided that at least six people in attendance have not yet attended candle lighting in a different Minyan. If fewer than six people have yet to attend a synagogue candle lighting, then the candles are not lit with a Beracha.
In occasionally happens in some synagogues on Erev Shabbat that ten people do not arrive until sundown or just before sundown, and the question arises as to whether the Hanukah candles may be lit in the synagogue in such a case. Even though ten people are not present at the time when the candles must be lit, it is expected that ten or more people will arrive later, while the candles burn. Does this expectation of the arrival of ten people suffice to allow for lighting with the Berachot?
The Magen Avraham (commentary to the Shulhan Aruch by Rabbi Avraham Gombiner, Poland, 1637-1683) rules (listen to audio for precise citation) that the Hanukah candles may, indeed, be lit with the Berachot in such a case, provided that it can reasonably be assumed that ten people will soon arrive. This ruling is cited in the Be'ur Halacha (end of Siman 671).
As mentioned, the person who kindles the Hanukah lights in the synagogue recites the same Berachot that one recites when lighting the Hanukah candles at home. The exception to this rule is the synagogue lighting on Erev Shabbat. By the time the candles are lit in the synagogue on Erev Shabbat, the person lighting as well as everyone in attendance have already lit the Hanukah candles at home. Accordingly, Hacham Ovadia Yosef rules (Hazon Ovadia – Laws of Hanukah, p. 56) that on Erev Shabbat the person lighting in the synagogue does not recite the Beracha of "She'asa Nissim." Likewise, if the first night of Hanukah occurs on Friday night, he would not recite the Beracha of "She'he'heyanu." Since he and everybody in the synagogue had already lit candles at home with the Berchot, he recites only the Beracha of "Le'hadlik Ner Hanukah."
Summary: The Hanukah candles are lit in the synagogue only if ten people are in attendance; men, women and even children who have reached the age of training in Misvot count towards this minimum quorum. If the people in attendance have already prayed and attended candle lighting in a different Minyan, the candles are not lit unless six or more people present have yet to attend a synagogue lighting. If fewer than ten people are present but it is expected that they will soon arrive, the candles may be lit with the Berachot. The person lighting the candles in the synagogue recites all the usual Berachot before lighting, except on Friday afternoon, when he recites only the Beracha of "Le'hadlik Ner Hanukah."
