Chabad of the South Hills kicks off Chanukah with menorah lighting
The Jewish faithful of Chabad of the South Hills celebrated the start of Chanukah last week with a “glow in the dark” event.
Members of the synagogue and local officials gathered at the Dormont Pool parking lot on Dec. 19 for the annual menorah lighting, as well as music and food.
Rabbi Mendy Rosenblum, director of Chabad of the South Hills, said it’s important for Jewish people to gather and celebrate the eight-day holiday, which comes to an end Monday.
“One of the central ideas of Chanukah is that not only that we celebrate it, but that we celebrate it in public, because the lights that we’ll light soon, they have a story to tell,” Rosenblum said.
State Sen. Wayne Fontana attended the event and lit the first menorah candle. Rosenblum explained that the practice of lighting a different candle each day offers an important message.
“The menorah kind of teaches us that a little bit of light will dispel darkness, and now that you’ve gotten that little bit of light, now add a little more light. That’s one of the messages of Chanukah; there are many,” Rosenblum said.
In addition to Fontana, the event was also attended by state Rep. Dan Miller and Dormont council President Daniele Ventresca. Rosenblum said the presence of elected officials is an important show of support for the Jewish community.
“One of the reasons we hold it here at Dormont is that after the attack on Tree of Life in 2018, they reached out and said, ‘What can we do to host the Jewish community and make them feel included?’ That was very powerful,” Rosenblum said.