A testament to community: Savannah menorah lighting moves to Forsyth Park to expand celebration

Laura Nwogu, Savannah Morning News
·2 min read
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In partnership with the Savannah Jewish Federation, the Chabad of Savannah is celebrating its fifth Hanukkah celebration in a bigger fashion. After a successful in-person return for its 2021 celebration, the local Jewish organization is moving the annual event from Ellis Square to Forsyth Park where Savannah residents will get to witness the lighting of the menorah with more free entertainment, food and fun.

“I think this is absolutely tremendous that it has gained such traction so fast. It's really about the community. This is why we make the celebration because that's what Hanukkah is all about — how we're all the same, and we're so much more similar than we are different,” said Rabbi Zalman Refson, director of Chabad of Savannah.

Rabbi Zalman Revson with Chabad of Savannah shared the message of lighting up the world with kindness during Hanukkah in the Square.
Rabbi Zalman Revson with Chabad of Savannah shared the message of lighting up the world with kindness during Hanukkah in the Square.

This year, Hanukkah begins on the evening of Sunday, Dec. 18, and concludes the evening of Monday, Dec. 26.

The Jewish holiday is widely celebrated and commemorates the ancient victory of the Maccabees, a small band of Jewish fighters, against their Syrian-Greek oppressors in their struggle for religious freedom and liberty in the Land of Israel.

More:Chabad of Savannah lights the menorah to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah

In that struggle, the Maccabees liberated the Temple from the hands of the Greek invaders, but found only a small amount of olive oil fit for fueling the menorah for only one day — it would take eight days to produce new pure oil. The fighters lit the menorah anyway, and miraculously, the oil burned for eight days.

Chabad of Savannah begins the celebration of Hanukkah by lighting the first candle on the menorah in Ellis Square.
Chabad of Savannah begins the celebration of Hanukkah by lighting the first candle on the menorah in Ellis Square.

The event will start at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 18 with the first hour featuring a festival with photo booths, arts and craft, holiday gifts and traditional Hannukah foods that celebrate the miracle of oil like latkes — a potato pancake — and donuts with hummus served by local company Isreally Hummus. Nissim Black, a Black Jewish hip-hop artist, will perform at 4:30 p.m., and the event will conclude with Savannah Mayor Van Johnson lighting the ten-foot menorah.,

“Traditionally, Hanukkah was about lighting the menorah in the temple those thousands of years ago. Today, it's about lighting the menorah, which is inside every single one of us, which is that spark of humanity that we all share.

“So we focus on that on Hanukkah, and that allows us to come together and shred the differences that divide us. The community all coming together is just a testament to that.”

(L-R) Savannah Mayor Van Johnson joins Chabad of Savannah's Rabbi Zalman Revson to light the menorah during Hanukkah in the Square. This ceremony marks the start of the eight day celebration of the Festival of Lights.
(L-R) Savannah Mayor Van Johnson joins Chabad of Savannah's Rabbi Zalman Revson to light the menorah during Hanukkah in the Square. This ceremony marks the start of the eight day celebration of the Festival of Lights.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah GA holiday events: Hanukkah menorah lighting at Forsyth Park