Southern Utah Jewish community celebrates 4th annual public Menorah lighting
St. George Mayor Michelle Randall spoke at the 4th annual Menorah Lighting ceremony this year to help promote religious freedom in St. George.
Around 100 attendees showed up for the celebration at the city's Town Square Park downtown, celebrating the first of eight days of Hanukkah.
Locals who are part of the Jewish community joined in singing, dancing, and traditional holiday foods. The Menorah Lighting ceremony was one of 15,000 public Menorahs worldwide as part of the world's largest Hanukah observance.
Rabbi Mendy Cohen, who is part of the Chabad Jewish Center, organized this event and even had visitors all the way from New York.
“It's beautiful to see everyone come together from all walks of life all with the same message of unity, the message of light, the message of religious freedom,” Cohen said.
Last year's Menorah Lighting ceremony was virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the community still gathered online.
This year, Cohen said he was excited to have the community back together in person with all the activities available to attendees.
The St. George Fire Department came to do the "chocolate drop" where firefighters threw candy from the top of the fire truck for children to collect.
“I think it's awesome that our community is so diverse, and our Jewish community is growing, which is exciting to see,” Randall said.
To find out more about the Chabad Jewish Center visit http://www.jewishsouthernutah.com.
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This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: 4th annual public Menorah lighting back in person after covid
