Wednesday, December 20, 2017

9-foot menorah to light up Tri-City nights

For the fourth year in a row, Chabad of Fremont will light a public 9 ft. Menorah at Pacific Commons. The whole community is invited to attend this celebration on the fourth night of Chanukah, which this year falls on Tuesday, December 27. The event will feature Tri-City and State officials, as well as traditional foods, face painting, a photo booth, balloon sculpting, singing, and dancing.

From Saturday, December 24 to Sunday, January 1, Jewish households around the world will celebrate the Festival of Lights. Also spelled ÒHanukkah,Ó the word means ÒdedicationÓ, in reference to the events it celebrates surrounding the rededication of the Second temple in the Hebrew year 3622 (approx. 129 BCE).

The Seleucid king Antiochus IV, contemptuous of the Jewish religion and jealous of the JewsÕ loyalty to their God, had provoked the Jews into revolt. Judah the Maccabee (Òthe hammerÓ or Òthe strongÓ) led a small band of rebels in a miraculous victory over Antiochus and his army of 40,000.

Upon returning to the Temple, Judah commanded that the desecrated altar be replaced and the idols installed by Antiochus be thrown out. The temple menorah, makeshift as it was to replace the looted one made of gold, had to be relit. Unfortunately, only a solitary jar of anointed oil was to be foundÑenough for one night. Miraculously, for the next seven nights, while new oil was prepared and consecrated, the menorah remained alight. The breathtaking victory and the miracle of the oil confirmed then, as now, divine love and protection.

Today the household menorah symbolizes the menorah of the rededication and is often placed where it can be seen by passers-by, as its message speaks to both those who inhabit the house and the world at large. Traditions vary, but the custom of many Ashkenazic Jews (those with roots in France, Germany, and Eastern Europe) is to have a separate menorah for each family member, whereas most Sephardic Jews (with roots in Spain, Portugal, North Africa and the Middle East), light one for the whole household.

On the first night, the shamash (attendant) candle, usually in a position higher or lower than the others, is lit and then used to light one light. On the second night, the shamash lights two candles, and so forth until all candles are lit on the eighth night. The purpose of the shamash is to adhere to the prohibition, specified in the Talmud, against using the Hanukkah lights for anything other than publicizing and meditating on the Hanukkah miracle. After the menorah is lit, families share traditional foods such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jam-filled donuts). These foods are fried or baked in oil, which recalls the miracle that occurred in the Temple.

The Chabad Fremont Menorah lighting is organized by ChabadÕs Chanukah Committee, led by Rabbi Fuss. ÒThe Menorah,Ó says Rabbi Fuss, Òserves as a symbol of Fremont's dedication to preserve and encourage the right and liberty of all its citizens to worship God freely, openly, and with pride. Specifically in America, a nation that was founded upon and vigorously protects the right of every person to practice his or her religion free from restraint and persecution, the Menorah takes on profound significance, embodying both religious and constitutional principles.Ó

Public menorah lighting has a fairly recent history. During Chanukah 1974 Rabbi Abraham Shemtov and a few yeshiva students lit a menorah in front of PhiladelphiaÕs Independence Hall. It was a simple construction made of a few sticks nailed together; not many attended, but it was the seed of movement.

Fast-forward 40 years, and public menorahsÑmany of which are set up and celebrated by Chabad-Lubavitch centers as part of Chanukah festivitiesÑhave become a staple of Jewish cultural and religious life. The lightings are sometimes held on public property, and this has incurred resistance from people who perceive such an event as a violation of the separation of Church and State. President Jimmy CarterÕs participation in a menorah lighting ceremony on the White House lawn in 1980, however, went a long way toward easing the tensions and toning down the rhetoric.

It is estimated that more than 15,000 9 ft. tall (and more) menorahs like the one in Fremont this year are publicly lit world-wide every Chanukah. One of the largest lightings is the one near the Eiffel Tower in central Paris, which has attracted as many as 20,000 celebrants.

2017 Chanukah Events

Chabad Fremont Chanukah Lighting
Tuesday, Dec 27
5:00 Ð 6:30 p.m.
Pacific Commons by DickÕs Sporting Goods
43923 Pacific Commons Blvd.
(510) 300-4090
rabbi@chabadfremont.com
www.chabadfremont.com/chanukah
Traditional holiday foods, raffles, face painting, balloon sculpting, selfie booth.

Chanukah Party
Thursday, Dec 29
7:00 Ð 9:00 p.m.
Congregation Shir Ami
4529 Malabar Ave, Castro Valley
(510) 537-1787
info@congshirami.org
www.congshirami.org

Hanukkah Shabbat Service
Friday, Dec 30
7:30 p.m.
Temple Beth Torah
42000 Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont
(510) 656-7141
www.bethtorah-fremont.org

Please bring your menorah and eight candles

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