Marking the start of Hanukkah, the Chabad of Augusta hosted a festive menorah lighting ceremony on Thursday evening, Dec. 7, in Evans Towne Center at 6 p.m.
Held annually in Columbia County for the past eight years with a 9-foot menorah, the Chabad of Augusta’s holiday celebration shines a Jewish light amidst the several Christmas decorations scattered throughout the local park.
Known by many as the “festival of lights,” Hanukkah is an eight-day holiday commemorated yearly with a nightly candle lighting and recitation of special prayers that will continue until Friday, Dec. 15.
In addition to the candle lighting, the park event also featured traditional Hanukkah elements such as dreidels, fried foods, gifts and sweet treats.
WIth a mission to publicly showcase Jewish pride and confidence, Chabad of Augusta Rabbi Zalman Fischer welcomed guests and opened the celebration by discussing the importance of Hanukkah’s symbolism.
“How beautiful and how American that we have the freedom to celebrate the festival of Hanukkah openly, publicly and proudly in the center of our community,” he said. “This evening we gather to kindle the menorah and to remind ourselves that there is no power on Earth greater than the light of goodness.”
In light of the Hamas attacks and ongoing war in the Middle East, Fischer spoke on the strong connections between all Jews and the strength behind Israel’s long history.
“We are here tonight gathered in unity and resolve to remind everyone that the Jewish people are a single person with a million faces and a single soul breathing within a multitude of diverse bodies,” said Fischer. “If one should fall, all of us tumble … there should be no tolerance for voices of antisemitism, bigotry, intolerance or hatred for someone different.”
Before lighting the very first light of Hanukkah, Fischer said he hoped it would serve as a beacon of hope for the country’s shared covenant of freedom, and that everyone would remember how each citizen plays a role in protecting that respect and responsibility.
After lighting the menorah, the celebration continued with song performances and poem recitations by several children, before the crowd-favorite “gelt drop” was completed from a Columbia County fire truck ladder – an annual parachute drop of several small packets of kosher chocolate coins wrapped in silver or gold wrapping.
Despite the freezing temperature, children smiled and drank hot chocolate while finishing Hanukkah-themed crafts, and families enjoyed eating Latkes, also known as potato pancakes, together.
Jewish attendee Kerri Bresnan said she loved the event because it allowed her family to enjoy an exciting annual tradition and help raise awareness for the conflict in Israel.
“[Jews] love celebrating events together as much as we can. I think, given what has happened in Israel, it’s even more important to do that now than before,” she said. “This is something that, no matter where you go, you’ll see a bunch of people celebrating together.”
As a believer, Bresnan said her personal favorite aspect of the holiday has always been witnessing, on the seventh and eighth days, the menorah’s grand flames shining in the darkness.
Taking home the spirit of the holiday season, Fischer, Bresnan and many others could be seen laughing and smiling with friends and families as the night’s celebrations drew to a close.
“We have been wounded, and we are still bleeding as hundreds of families in Israel are still praying for the release of their loved ones from captivity, and thousands sit at the bedside of the wounded and maimed,” said Fischer. “[Hanukkah represents] there is no darkness so deep, no hatred too strong and no evil too terrible that it cannot be defeated by even one small act of goodness.”
Additional information about the Hanukkah holiday is available at https://www.chabadaugusta.org/chanukah.
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education, lifestyle and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
