Chabad Innisfil hosted its annual Chanukah celebration Sunday night at Town Square.
The community was invited to enjoy the giant menorah lighting, partake in potato latkes and doughnuts with the background of festive music by DJ Edi Shimonov.
Rabbi Zevi Kaplan of Chabad Innisfil told Village Media the purpose of the event was to bring the message of the light of the menorah to everyone and that a small amount of light can illuminate the darkness. Kaplan said this year marks the 50th anniversary of the public ceremony started by Rabbi Avrohom Shemtov outdoors at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pa.
This is the fourth annual event in Innisfil, Kaplan said.
Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev, the ninth month of the Jewish calendar, and can fall between late November and late December. It’s an eight-day, wintertime “festival of lights,” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods, connecting with the oil of the lamp. This year, it coincided with Christmas, starting on Dec. 25.
Sunday's event at the square marked the fifth night of Chanukah.
The holiday commemorates events in 164 BC, when a group of Jewish fighters reclaimed the temple in Jerusalem and sought to re-light its menorah (an oil-based candelabrum). They found only enough oil to keep it lit for a day.
However, the oil kept the menorah alight for eight days. Similar to the Jewish holiday of Passover, Hanukkah celebrates freedom from oppression as it supports and celebrates freedom of religious expression.
The centrepiece of the Chanukah event Sunday night was the lighting of the menorah. Special blessings were recited to traditional music prior to Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin lighting the helper candle, known as the shamas, and Rabbi Kaplan lit the rest of it to bring it up to the fifth day with traditional songs sung afterwards.
Most of council was on hand. Besides words from the mayor, Barrie-Innisfil MP John Brassard and MPP Andrea Khanjin delivered official remarks on behalf of the federal and provincial governments, including support for Jewish communities in Canada and support for Israel in their current circumstances.
Uniformed members of South Simcoe police and the Innisifl Fire and Rescue services also made up those who endured the cold drizzle of the night.
To finish off the evening, a giant LED robot performed for the crowd of more than 100 adults and children.
