Fairfield to host menorah lighting ceremony Wednesday

FAIRFIELD – Fairfield’s Central Park will host a public menorah lighting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13 to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

The event is being organized by Chabad N.E. Iowa with help from Fairfield’s synagogue, Beth Shalom. The free event will feature an array of entertainment for all ages including a juggling show, music, dancing Rabbis, as well as a selection of traditional Hanukkah foods such as latkes and donuts. Fairfield Mayor Connie Boyer will speak at the event, too.

Chabad N.E. Iowa is based in Postville, and the organization has made it a habit to host public menorah lightings throughout the region. It has visited Fairfield several years in a row. Last year, the group held menorah lightings in Cedar Falls, La Crosse, Wisconsin, Cedar Rapids, Fairfield and then finished with a ceremony in its homebase of Postville.

Marc Berkowitz, president of Beth Shalom, said many Jews in Fairfield and around the world feel that it is especially important to celebrate Hanukkah publicly in light of world events, such as the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on Oct. 7 that killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel.

“Jews around the world never thought that we’d see this kind of thing again,” Berkowitz said. “Even among people who in the past weren’t celebrating [Hanukkah] so much, there’s now a real desire to get out and support the Jewish people, support Israel, support the cause of freedom, and support the victory of light over darkness.”

Berkowitz said he was dismayed to learn that some cities have canceled their public menorah lightings or other Hanukkah festivities over security concerns.

“It’s more important than ever for people to show up and stand up for what’s right in the world,” he said.

According to information from Rabbi Aron Schimmel of Chabad N.E. Iowa, the celebration of Hanukkah (Dec. 7-15) recalls the victory of a “militarily weak but spiritually strong Jewish people,” who defeated the Syrian-Greeks who had overrun ancient Israel and sought to impose restrictions on the Jewish way of life and practice.

“They desecrated and defiled the Holy Temple and the oil prepared for the lighting of the menorah–part of the daily service,” Schimmel wrote. “Upon defeating their enemies and recapturing the Temple, only one jar of undefiled oil was found, enough to burn for one day, but it lasted miraculously for eight. In commemoration, Jews celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting an eight-branched candelabrum known as a menorah, adding another candle each night. Today, the holiday carries a universal message of the triumph of freedom over oppression, of spirit over matter, of light over darkness.”

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

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