Local Jewish community to celebrate miracles and more

Calgary’s Jewish community will celebrate the annual festival of Hanukkah along with its eightday festival of lights beginning this coming week.

The ancient celebration of God’s miracles will start on Tuesday at sundown — the beginning of a new day in the Jewish calendar.

In what has become a yearly tradition at Calgary City Hall, the lighting of the symbolic menorah in the building’s atrium at 5.30 p.m. will mark the public acknowledgment of the festival.

The history of Hanukkah revolves around the rededication of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem more than 2,000 years ago following the Maccabean Revolt, when many Jews rose up against their Greek oppressors.

Rabbi Mark Glickman, spiritual leader of Temple B’nai Tikvah in Calgary, describes the legendary miracle that followed when victorious Jews re-entered the Temple to find it in a bad state of disrepair.

“They needed to light a sacred fire and to keep it burning. All they could find was one jar of oil to light that fire — only enough for one day — but they lit it anyway. According to legend, a great miracle happened and that one jar of oil lasted eight days and ever since then we have been celebrating that event with the eight-day festival of Hanukkah,” said the rabbi.

For that same reason, one of the eight candles of the menorah is lit each night from the central ‘server’ candle. Also, because of that history, Jews often eat foods such as potato pancakes called latkes as holiday treats.

“You see, it’s the tradition of the oil. So, we get potato pancakes fried in oil, jelly doughnuts fried in oil — Hanukkah is not a very cholesterol sensitive holiday,” said Glickman.

Traditionally, Hanukkah was not a Jewish holiday at which gift giving was a major part of the celebrations, but Glickman said that its proximity to Christmas has gradually changed that tradition. Now, exchanging gifts is more common between family and friends.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi will deliver greetings from the city at Tuesday’s event. Those attending are invited to bring gifts of warm clothing and sleeping bags for Project Warmth, a charity in aid of the homeless and under-privileged in Calgary.