Palm Beach's Bradley Park to host 25th annual Hanukkah celebration today
The annual Hanukkah event at Bradley Park returns today with food, activities, entertainment and an "Israel Solidarity" menorah.
The 25th annual event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. and includes Hanukkah cuisine, a soup and falafel bar, kids' and teen activities, a performance by the Electrifying LED Water Drum Trio, and the lighting of the Hanukkah candles.
The eight-day holiday of Hanukkah, known as the Festival of Lights, begins at sundown today and ends at sundown Dec. 15. It celebrates the rise of the Jewish people against Greek-Syrian oppressors.
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Hanukkah represents the miracle of a one-day supply of oil for the rededicated Temple in Jerusalem lasting eight days. Jews observe it by lighting a menorah lamp every evening of the holiday.
"Hanukkah is a very joyous time," said Rabbi Moshe Scheiner of Palm Beach Synagogue, which is leading Thursday's event. "But it also has a very deep, spiritual message, and it's the message of light over darkness. The Greeks tried to extinguish the flame of Judaism. The Maccabees fought valiantly to keep the flame of Judaism burning brightly, and here we are 2,000 years later, and we have not just the miracle of Hanukkah, but the miracle of Jewish resistance and Jewish continuity. It all came down to a few brave people who stood up for religious freedom."
A 10-foot tall menorah decorated with thousands of blue ribbons symbolizing support and solidarity for the safe return of the hostages taken by Hamas militants in Israel Oct. 7 will be lit Thursday to mark the first night of Hanukkah.
Avi Lulu, a resident of the Kfar Aza community in southern Israel and the father of one of the hostages, will light the menorah alongside another member of the community who lost her husband in the Hamas attacks.
Lulu, whose son, Gil, is being held hostage in Gaza along with scores of others, is president of the community.
"It's very mixed emotions celebrating the Hanukkah holiday," Scheiner said. "There are over 100 hostages sitting in tunnels, in darkness. So we want to send them our light, and send them our love. It's a painful time to celebrate, but celebrate we will, because we know that it's only through faith and our unity and our love and our strength that we will overcome this evil and this darkness in our midst. I think the darkness in the world for the Jewish people has never been more palpable, but that's only more reason to bring more light this year than ever before."
Scheiner began the Bradley Park Hanukkah tradition in 1998 with Rabbi Leonid Feldman, who was then spiritual leader of Temple Emanu-El and now is at Temple Beth El in West Palm Beach. The event has grown over the years from two participating synagogues to five, and attracts hundreds of people.
The event is free. For information, visit palmbeachsynagogue.org/bradleypark.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Hanukkah celebration returns to Palm Beach's Bradley Park Thursday
