Chabad of the Quad Cities celebrates Hanukkah with lighting of menorah
By Gretchen Teske – Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa (TNS)
The corner of 53rd Avenue and 18th Street in Bettendorf received extra light Sunday night as Chabad Lubavitch of the Quad Cities lit a menorah for Hannukah.
Sunday marked the fifth night of the festival, which lasts eight days and nights. The event commemorates a period in Jewish history when Assyrian-Greeks took control of Jerusalem and tried to ban Jewish customs and religious practices. But a small group of Jewish people fought and drove them from Jerusalem, reclaiming the temple. Despite having a one-day supply of oil to light the menorah in the temple, it stayed lit for eight days.
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Chabad of the Quad Cities erected an 8-foot menorah at the intersection of 53rd Avenue and 18th Street in Bettendorf, seen here during the lighting during the fifth night of Hanukkah on Sunday.
The holiday is celebrated by traditions such as singing songs, playing the game of dreidel and eating oil-based foods such as latke, a potato pancake, as well as lighting menorahs.
Hannukah, also spelled Chanukkah, spreads the message that good triumphs evil and light will conquer darkness, according to a news release from Chabad.
“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,” Rabbi Shneur Cadaner said. “The menorah and Hanukkah represent freedom of the human spirit, freedom from tyranny and oppression, and of the victory of good over evil.”
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Chabad of the Quad Cities Rabbi Shneur Cadaner gives remarks before lighting an 8-foot menorah Sunday in Bettendorf, during the fifth night of Hanukkah.
At Sunday’s ceremony, battery-operated votive candles were spread out among the crowd as the rabbi and his wife, Chana Cadaner, spoke about the significance of lighting candles to commemorate bringing light into the world.
“We add light to the world and we make it a better place,” she said, asking participants to turn on their lights one by one. “We are a community that spreads light no matter how dark it may seem around us.”
This year’s celebrations carried extra significance as it marks 50 years since the first public menorah was lit at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia in 1974. The public menorah was lit after the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, launched a worldwide campaign in 1973 to build awareness and promote observance of Hanukkah, according to a news release.
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Maureen and Harry Wellner are on hand for Chabad of the Quad Cities lighting of an 8-foot menorah in Bettendorf.
As a small crowd gathered at the busy intersection in Bettendorf, Mayor Bob Gallagher lit the ceremonial first candle on the menorah and wished a peaceful and happy holiday to all. The Quad-Cities’ menorah is one of more than 15,000 large public menorahs throughout the world, including 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.
10 interesting facts about Hanukkah
Hanukkah is a joyous celebration that brings families and communities together to commemorate historical events and reflect on the values of perseverance, faith, and the triumph of light over darkness.
Hanukkah Menorah Lightning 2023
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