Letting the light shine
Crowd urged to dispel darkness with light on Hanukkah and beyond
A giant menorah lit up the night during a communitywide gathering Sunday to celebrate Hanukkah in Oklahoma City.
The seventh annual "Bricktown Lights" event drew an estimated crowd of 300 to celebrate the first night of the Jewish holiday at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark Third Base Plaza, 2 Mickey Mantle Drive.
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and U.S. Sen. J ames Lankford helped Rabbi Ovadia Goldman light the menorah, a type of lamp that is the most popular symbol of Hanukkah. Gold man is th espiritual leader of the Chabad Community Center f or Jewish Life and Learning, which hosts the public event each year.
Often called the Jewish Festival of Lights, the eightday holiday of Hanukkah commemorates the victory of a band of Jews, the Maccabees, against GreekSyrian occupiers in 165 B.C. and the re-dedication of their temple. When the Maccabees reclaimed the temple from their oppressors, they wanted to light the eternal light, known as the N'er Tamid, which is in every Jewish house of worship.
According to tradition, once lighted, the oil lamp should never be extinguished, but the Maccabees had only enough oil for one day. During Hanukkah, Jewish families celebrate the miracle that the Maccabees' lamp stayed lit for eight days with the small amount of oil that remained.
More than one speaker highlighted the importance of light in the effort to push back darkness. The light, they said, symbolizes things like goodness and unity while darkness symbolizes evil and division.
Gold man said the Oklahoma City gathering was among countless Hanukkah celebrations occurring all over the world which focused on spreading light — good — around the globe.
"These are lights that are being kindled with the awesome message of Hanukkah," he said.
The r abbi said darkness — evil — "will never ever stand up to the glowing power of light. It' s indistinguishable ."
Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, read a passage from the Book of Isaiah 60:1. Like Goldman, he also spoke about combating darkness with light.
"In moments when we talk about darkness, it's a wonderful reminder that light drives out darkness. People try to 'out-anger' other people but darkness does not drive out darkness. Light drives out darkness," he said.
Meanwhile, Holt said he brought an attitude of gratitude to the annual event.
"I am grateful for a community that em braces all religions, all races, all nationalities," he said.
Though the lighting of the giant menorah was the highlight of the event, the crowd was treated to other aspects of Hanukkah including latkes, the fried potato pancake st raditionally eaten during Hanukkah. Children interacted with "Dreidel Man," a character based on the dreidel, a spinning top that is also a traditional part of the Jewish holiday.
People seemed to draw inspiration from a group of children from the Chabad Hebrew School who performed several songs that included a rendition of "The Dreidel Song." Later, the group of children, along with other youths in the crowd, snatched up pieces of Hanukkah gelt, foil- wrapped chocolate coins, when members of the Oklahoma City Fire Department dropped the candy from atop a ladder.
And, in keeping with the Hanukkah theme of light, fire performer Bryan Sekine wowed the crowd with feats of skill using fire sticks, batons and hoops.