Community gathers for Jewish Festival of Lights
Event at Scissortail Park includes food, games
The lighting of a giant menorah was a big part of a recent event held to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights, but community members were treated to other activities as well.
The OKC Community Chanukah Festival, hosted by Chabad Community Center, included a magic show, games, a petting zoo and pictures with Dreidel Man. The event held on Sunday at Scissortail Park in Oklahoma City also included a “Taste of Jewish Culture” booth where attendees were offered treats including latkes, a traditional food eaten during the holiday.
Guitarist Edgar Cruz performed Jewish and traditional Hanukkah classics for the crowd and Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt lit a candle on the giant menorah at dusk.
Hanukkah began at sundown on Dec. 7, and ends at sundown on Dec. 15. The eight-day holiday commemorates the victory of a band of Jews, the Maccabees, against Greek-Syrian occupiers in 165 B.C., and the rededication 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. A menorah is a type of lamp that is the most popular symbol of Hanukkah and helps celebrate the miracle of the Maccabees’ lamp.