“I want you to have a really good Hanukkah and happy Hanukkah,” said a child in attendance at Wednesday’s festivities.
The Chabad Jewish Center of Naperville, 651 Amersale Drive, hosted over 50 people in front of Nichols Library for a Hanukkah celebration Wednesday night.
“We’re here with the public menorah lighting right here in downtown Naperville, and our goal is to bring more light into the world,” said Rabbi Mendy Goldstein. “We celebrate in the wintertime when it’s dark outside and we’re trying to spread the light and the love here in Naperville.”
The Festival of Lights
Goldstein lit a giant menorah, which stands at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Webster Street.
Wednesday marked the seventh night of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights. The Jewish holiday lasts from Dec. 7-15.
“The ancient holiday of Hanukkah… they would light a menorah in the holy temple in Jerusalem, and there was a war,” said Goldstein. “When they came back to rededicate the holy temple, they only had one jug of pure olive oil that could last for one night. Miraculously, it lasted for eight nights.”
Celebrations began at the Chabad Center, where families drove to downtown Naperville with menorahs on top of their cars.
“People came together, they brought their vehicles, willing to put a menorah on the car and just spreading the light,” said Goldstein. “It’s just so beautiful to see the faces, the people that notice the cars and getting excited about it.”
The festivities included several Jewish fried foods, special prayers, and dancing.
“Part of the way we celebrate the holiday is by eating oily foods,” said Goldstein. “We have potato pancakes known as potato latkes, and they are fried in oil. We also have sufganiyot, which are donuts which are fried. And we’re dancing because God performed miracles back then, and we’re hopeful that God is going to perform miracles today for everybody.”
Hanukkah during the war in the Gaza Strip
Goldstein hoped Wednesday’s festivities would “uplift everybody’s spirits” amidst the crisis in the Gaza Strip.
“We prayed for Israel,” said Goldstein. “We prayed that God keep everybody safe. And Jewish people around the world should just feel comfortable and safe.”
Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli was in attendance at the menorah lighting. He lit the middle light of the giant menorah and offered words of comfort for the Jewish community in Naperville.
“As we celebrate Hannukah and acknowledge the events of 2023, living out the faith in the light is a reminder to Naperville of perseverance and strength,” said Wehrli.
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