This Hanukkah, Southern Utah to Shine Brighter Than Ever With Jewish Pride and Confidence
This Hanukkah, Southern Utah 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 Southern Utah will light a public 12 ft menorah erected at Vernon Worthen Park in St George and at Nosso Auto in Cedar, followed by a community celebration on Sunday, Dec 29 and Monday Dec 30, the 5th and 6th day 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 Mendy Cohen. “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 live music, face painting, fire truck gelt drop as well as hot drinks and a selection of traditional Hanukkah foods. Throughout the state of Utah, Chabad-Lubavitch will be presenting dozens of Hanukkah events and celebrations, including public menorah lightings, ice menorah displays, car-top menorah parades, community gatherings, 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 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. St George and Cedar City’s menorahs are among over 15,000 large public menorahs throughout the world, including notable menorahs in front of the White House, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, 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 Chaya Cohen. “The celebration of Hanukkah underscores the G-d endowed liberty that is at the heart of what America represents.”
