'We have our lights to shine': Menorah lighting in Quincy signals start of Hanukkah

Peter Blandino, The Patriot Ledger
·2 min read
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QUINCY − About 100 people gathered Sunday evening in front of Quincy City Hall for the beginning of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. Rabbi Fred Benjamin, of Congregation Beth Shalom of the Blue Hills in Milton, led the ceremony and lit the first candle of the menorah.

Hanukkah will be celebrated until sundown Dec. 26. The holiday honors the Maccabean Jews' restoration of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC. Tradition says the Maccabees had lamp oil for only one night, but the temple's menorah lamps stayed lit for all eight nights of the ceremonial rededication.

Rabbi Alfred Benjamin, of the Congregation Beth Shalom of the Blue Hills in Milton, lights a small menorah at the Hancock Adams Common in Quincy on the first night of Hanukkah, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022.
Rabbi Alfred Benjamin, of the Congregation Beth Shalom of the Blue Hills in Milton, lights a small menorah at the Hancock Adams Common in Quincy on the first night of Hanukkah, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022.

With the help of young volunteers, Rabbi Benjamin narrated the story of Hanukkah and beckoned the crowd to huddle around the menorah to shield the wind as he lit the first candle.

He then lit a 10-foot electric menorah directly behind him. Its light added to the glow of Christmas lights adorning the trees throughout Quincy Center.

"We have our lights to shine along with the others," Rabbi Benjamin said.

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On Rabbi Benjamin's table were several dreidels and a container of oil and chocolate coins called gelt. When a people or nation gains independence, Rabbi Benjamin said, one of the first things they do is mint their own coins with their own symbols. That's how the chocolate coins came to represent Hanukkah.

A menorah is lit at the Hancock Adams Common in Quincy during a ceremony on the first night of Hanukkah, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022.
A menorah is lit at the Hancock Adams Common in Quincy during a ceremony on the first night of Hanukkah, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022.

Benjamin invited children to take two gelt each.

"What do Jewish grandmothers give you?" he quipped. "Guilt!"

The crowd then sang a number of traditional Hanukkah songs, including "The Dreidel Song" and "Rock of Ages."

Rabbi Benjamin concluded the ceremony by wishing all in attendance a beautiful holiday season. He said the ceremony embodies an important message.

"This is America," he said. "We have a diverse population. Quincy lifts that diversity up."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Menorah lighting in Quincy signals start of Hanukkah season