Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on November 30, 2021

Menorah lighting for the first night of Hanukkah at Chabad Lubavitch in Fort Myers

Flames of light on a large menorah at Chabad Lubavitch in Fort Myers Sunday evening heralded the start of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

Fort Myers News-Press

Flames of lightatop a large menorah along McGregor Boulevard on Sunday evening heraldedthe start of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, symbolizing lighting the darkness.

That symbolism observed at sundown at ChabadLubavitch in Fort Myers matched similarcelebrations across Collier and Lee counties and around the world Sunday night.

"That's why we light the menorah in a public place," saidRabbi Yitzchok Minkowicz from Chabad Lubavitch. "We're going to light up the night physically and spiritually. The light of Hanukkah is very powerful."

The eight-day observance recalls a miracle in a Jerusalem temple during a war fought 2,000 years ago against the Greeks by the Maccabees,a group of Jewish rebel warriors, forreligious freedom.

Southwest Floridacelebrations:

During the conflict, a lamp being used tolight the temple had only enough oil to burn for a single day yet burned for eight days. In honor of that miracle,Jews light candles on a menorah for eightdays.

Hanukkahstarts on the 25th day of Kislev,which is the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar, with the singing of holiday songs, eating oily foodsandplaying dreidel, a spinning top.

At ChabadLubavitch, dozens gathered at sunset Sunday to watch two small containers of kerosene set afire on top of a large menorah. The aluminum menorah was constructed on land the Chabad recently purchased fronting McGregor Boulevard and abutting its current property along Winkler Road.

Brian Fox, who attends the Chabad and was involved in setting up the Hanukkah celebration with his family, was given the honor of lighting the menorah.

"We're just so blessed to be able to participate," Fox said. "It's meaningful for the family and the community to share in the joy and happiness."

Minkowicz said the kerosene flames, symbolic of the original oil from the lights 2,000 years ago, would staylit for about an hour Sunday and eventually be replaced by lightbulbs for safety. The remaining Hanukkahlights are bulbs lit daily through Dec. 5.

TheChabad's menorah lighting scheduleis:2nd-5thcandles, Monday-Thursday, 5:45 p.m.; 6th candle, Friday, 4:15 p.m.; 7th candle, Saturday, 6:30 p.m., 8th candle, Sunday, 6:30 p.m. The changes in time reflectthe lighting of candles Friday for Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, on Saturday night after Shabbat is over, and then for a special event on the final night.

Chabad Lubavitch'sHanukkah celebration concludes at 3 p.m. Dec. 5with an event at Castle Golf on Gladiolus Drive with free golf, holiday food of hot latkes and doughnuts, drinks and music and the lighting of the Grand Chanukah Menorah.

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More on other December celebrations can be found atwww.religioustolerance.org/xmas_other.htm

Connect with breaking news reporter Michael Braun:MichaelBraunNP (Facebook),@MichaelBraunNP (Twitter) or mbraun@news-press.com.

Continued here:
Lighting of menorah in Fort Myers reflects 2,000-year-old Hanukkah miracle - The News-Press

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
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