‘Largest menorah’ to be displayed Sunday
‘Largest menorah’ to be displayed Sunday Hot-air balloons to comprise the Jewish holiday display
It may look like nine inflated hot air balloons standing side by side, but with a little imagination the glowing balloons can be seen as the world’s only, and certainly largest Hanukkah menorah.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller will “light” the menorah on Sunday, the last day of the Jewish Festival of Lights, during a celebration at Balloon Fiesta Park. The celebration, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 4:30-5:45 p.m. The lighting ceremony will also honor the memory of the 11 victims of the Oct. 27 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.
Visitors will be able to spin four-sided tops called dreidels and be treated to traditional Hanukkah foods such as latkes (potato pancakes), sufganiyot (jelly filled donuts) and gelt (chocolates in the shape of coins).
America’s only Hasidic folk rock band, Rogers Park, will perform. The band is named for the Chicago neighborhood where
memorates the victory in the 2nd century BCE of a small band of Jewish warriors led by Judah the Maccabee, over the much larger forces of the Syrian Greeks in Jerusalem, who sought to impose their own Greek culture and beliefs on the Jewish population.
After driving the Syrian Greeks out of Jerusalem, the Jews needed to perform a ritual purification of the Temple, which had been defiled by their oppressors. The ritual involved lighting the temple’s candelabrum. Unfortunately, they were only able to locate one vial of uncontaminated olive oil, which would normally burn for a single day.
According to tradition, a messenger was sent to secure additional vials of oil, which had to be specially prepared. The task took eight days, but miraculously the single vial of oil continued to burn for the entire eight days.
In commemoration, Jews today celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting an eightbranched candelabra known as a menorah, which also contains a ninth arm to hold the “shamus” or servant candle used to light the others.
The name Hanukkah comes from the Hebrew word for “dedication,” and refers to the rededication of the Second Temple with the holy oil.
The Sunday night celebration at Balloon Fiesta Park is sponsored by Chabad of New Mexico and the City of Albuquerque.