Residents of Nanaimo can celebrate the Jewish festival of lights with the lighting of a nine-foot menorah on Sunday, Dec. 22.
Chabad of Nanaimo is inviting people to the event, according to a press release, as it “ignites” the menorah at Bastion Square Park and subsequently holds a celebration at the nearby Best Western Dorchester Hotel, with festivities and family activities beginning at 4:30 p.m. Latkes (potato pancakes) and doughnuts will be served, there will be crafts for children to make and dreidels at the post-menorah-lighting celebration, the press release said.
Hanukkah, the eight-day festival, commemorates the Jewish people’s victory over a larger Syrian Greek army approximately 2,000 years ago. The Greeks had destroyed oil the used for lighting candles. A single jug of oil was found and while it was supposed to last one day, but ended up lasting eight. The lighting of the menorah is part of the celebration.
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“The menorah serves as a symbol of Nanaimo’s dedication to preserve and encourage the right and liberty of all its citizens to worship God freely, openly, and with pride,” said Rabbi Bentzi Shemtov, director of Chabad Nanaimo, in the press release.
This year, Hanukkah takes place from the evening of Dec. 22 to the evening of Dec. 30.
For more information, go to www.jewishnanaimo.com or call 250-797-7877.
