by Rabbi Moshe Dubinsky

This Hanukkah, Lake County is seeing a surge in public displays of the holiday and Jewish identity, with many more families and individuals planning to light their menorahs in visible places, such as their doors or windows. Chabad of S. Lake County will light a public menorah made out of lego at Waterfront Park in Clermont, followed by a community celebration on December 29th, the fifth night of Hanukkah.

“At this fraught time for the Jewish community, with war in Israel and American Jews facing a major rise in antisemitism, this year we are doing more to celebrate Hanukkah with joy and Jewish pride,” said Rabbi Moshe Dubinsky. “The Menorah and Hanukkah represent freedom of the human spirit, freedom from tyranny and oppression, and of the victory of good over evil.”

The ceremony will feature a menorah lighting and an array of entertainment for all ages including a helicopter gelt drop and an acrobat show, as well as drinks and a selection of traditional Hanukkah foods. Throughout the state of Florida, Chabad-Lubavitch will be presenting dozens of Hanukkah events and celebrations, including public menorah lightings, ice menorah displays, car-top menorah parades, community gatherings, giant dreidel houses, Chanukah Wonderlands and more.

This year’s celebrations carry added significance as they mark 50 years since the first public menorah which was lit at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia in 1974. The public menorah was lit after the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of blessed memory, launched the worldwide Hanukkah campaign in 1973 to build awareness and promote the observance of Hanukkah. Today, public menorahs and Hanukkah displays have become a staple of Jewish cultural and American public life, forever altering the American practice and perception of the festival.

This year’s Hanukkah campaign will be one of unprecedented light and joy, seeing Chabad reach more than 8 million Jews in more than 100 countries. Clermont’s menorah is one of over 15,000 large public menorahs throughout the world, including notable menorahs in front of the White House, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the St. Louis Arch, the Great Wall of China, and Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.

“Celebrating Hanukkah is a potent point of light, Jewish pride and confidence for American Jews in the fight against darkness and antisemitism,” added Rabbi Moshe Dubinsky. “The celebration of Hanukkah underscores the G-d endowed liberty that is at the heart of what America represents.”

The Grand Chanukah Celebration will be held at Waterfront Park, Clermont on Sunday, December 29th at 4:30 pm. It’s free to the entire community. 

RSVP: JewishSL.com

ABOUT HANUKKAH

Hanukkah, the 8-day Festival of Lights, begins this year on the evening of Wednesday, December 25, and concludes on Thursday, Jan, 2 at nightfall. It recalls the victory of the militarily weak but spiritually strong Jewish people, who defeated the Syrian-Greeks who had sought to impose restrictions on the Jewish way of life and practice, desecrating the Holy Temple and the oil prepared for the daily lighting of the menorah.

Upon recapturing the Temple, only one jar of undefiled oil—enough to burn for one day—was found, but it lasted miraculously for eight days. In commemoration, Jews light an eight-branched candelabrum known as a menorah, adding another candle each night. The holiday carries a universal message of the triumph of freedom over oppression and light over darkness. Additional information about the Hanukkah holiday is available at Jewishsl.com/Hanukkah.

Chabad of S. Lake County offers Jewish education, outreach and social service programming for families and individuals of all ages, backgrounds and affiliations. For more information visit JewishSL.com.