Public menorah to be lighted Thursday in Fairfield

FAIRFIELD — The public is invited to attend the lighting of a 10-foot menorah Thursday evening in Fairfield’s Central Park.

Fairfield Mayor Connie Boyer will be on hand as the menorah is lighted at 5:30 p.m. on the fifth night of Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah). For an hour following the menorah lighting ceremony, residents will be invited to dance, sing and eat “latkes” (potato pancakes), a traditional Hanukkah food.

The organization Chabad Lubavitch of N.E. Iowa will lead the festivities. Boyer will be joined in lighting the menorah by Fairfield Jewish Synagogue spiritual leader Alan Green.

Rabbi Aron Schimmel, director of the Chabad Jewish Center of N.E. Iowa, said that, “more and more people are requesting that we diversify our offerings. We are delighted to do this at the square this year.”

The event will feature Hanukkah gelt (chocolate coins), gifts and dreidels for children.

Schimmel said that the menorah serves as a symbol of Fairfield’s dedication to preserve and encourage the freedom of its citizens to “worship God freely, openly and with pride.”

“Specifically in America, a nation that was founded upon and vigorously protects the right of every person to practice his or her religion free from restraint and persecution, the menorah takes on profound significance, embodying both religious and constitutional principles,” Schimmel said.