Andie Carroll, Editor-in-Chief
@acarrollcourant
Every year, members of the Jewish community come together to celebrate Hanukkah, an eight day celebration starting from the 25th of Kislev to the second day of Tevet on the Hebrew Calendar. This year, from December 2nd to the 10th, Jewish people all across the world lit their menorahs in remembrance of the rededication of the second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and the victory of a small army over a cruel king more than 2,000 years ago.
On the second day of Hanukkah, people in New Canaan gathered at the top of God’s Acre to eat latkes, sing songs, and celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights. Rabbi Levi Mendelow of the Chabad of New Canaan, led the candle lighting service after sunset bringing together a community of more than just Jews. “It’s really special to celebrate Hanukkah here on God’s Acre in New Canaan. America is an amazing land where our freedom of religion is guaranteed and our freedom to practice our religion and to be able to do it over here in the center of town is really a special thing” said New Canaan Rabbi Mendelow. “It’s such a beautiful community where people respect each other and different religions and we, the Jewish people, feel proud to be given the space to proudly celebrate our Judaism.”
Hanukkah commemorates the events that took place in ancient Israel when the Greek army that ruled Israel at the time forbid Jewish worship and the study of the Torah. But a small group of Jewish soldiers called the Maccabees went to war to fight for freedom, and miraculously defeated the much larger Greek army. In a desecrated temple they found only enough oil to last one night, but after lighting their menorah, the oil ended up lasting exactly eight days, which was just enough to prepare new oil. “So Hanukkah really represents religious freedom more than any other holiday,” says Rabbi Mendelow.
