NEWTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Beth Menachem Chabad on Wednesday lit a public 12 foot menorah on Dedham Street to mark the first night of Hanukkah.
“At this fraught time for the Jewish community, with war in Israel and American Jews facing a major rise in antisemitism, this year we are doing more to celebrate Chanukah with joy and Jewish pride,” said Rabbi Shalom Ber Prus of Beth Menachem Chabad in Newton. “The Menorah and Chanukah represent freedom of the human spirit, freedom from tyranny and oppression, and of the victory of good over evil.”
The ceremony featured a grand menorah lighting and live music.
The event in Newton was one of many Chabad-Lubavitch hosted in Massachusetts, ranging from public menorah lightings and ice menorah displays to car-top menorah parades, community gatherings, giant dreidel houses, and Chanukah Wonderlands.
This year’s celebrations carry added significance as they mark 50 years since the first public menorah which was lit at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia in 1974. The public menorah was lit after the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of blessed memory, launched the worldwide Chanukah campaign in 1973 to build awareness and promote observance of Chanukah. Today, public menorahs and Chanukah displays have become a staple of Jewish cultural and American public life, forever altering the American practice and perception of the festival.
“Celebrating Chanukah is a potent point of light, Jewish pride and confidence for American Jews in the fight against darkness and antisemitism,” added Prus. “The celebration of Chanukah underscores the G-d endowed liberty that is at the heart of what America represents.”
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