The Center for Jewish Life held its annual event lighting one of the city’s largest menorahs Monday night in Daley Plaza in honor of the fourth day of Hanukkah.
Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, is an eight-day celebration of the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem after the Maccabees defeated the Syrians. The little oil left in the temple burned for eight days, which was considered a miracle, leading to the candle-lighting tradition that continues to this day.
Chicago’s menorah-lighting tradition, featuring the 31-foot tall, 18-foot wide menorah in Daley Plaza, started in 1987 when Rabbi Meir Chai Benhiyoun, the president and rabbi of the Center for Jewish Life, came to Chicago with his wife to establish a Jewish center in the city.
Every year since, Benhiyoun has led the celebration in the Loop and welcomed mayors, most of whom have yet to miss the event.
The first of the six candles — called the shamash, used to light the other candles each night — was lit by Mayor Brandon Johnson, who addressed the crowd before the festivities began.
“The soul of Chicago is rooted in the many diverse traditions and cultures that our city is home to,” Johnson told the crowd. “The festival of lights reminds us that light triumphs over darkness, and unity will always prevail over division.”
Johnson ended by wishing the crowd a happy Hanukkah in Hebrew.
After the menorah was lit, latkes and doughnuts were offered and people danced.
Pam Scheinman, who moved to River North from Massachusetts almost three years ago, said she was glad to see the celebration continue because there was “nothing like it” back home.
Scheinman also said it was a moment of reprieve for the Jewish community, who she said has felt “under siege” since the Oct. 7 surprise attack by Hamas that killed about 1,200 people and led to 240 being kidnapped in southern Israel. Israel’s retaliatory attacks have killed more than 17,000 people in Gaza.
Benhiyoun called for the release of the hostages while addressing the crowd, and noted that Judith Ranaan — a Chicago-area woman who was taken hostage during the initial attack but has since been released — was supposed to be on hand to light a candle Monday but was unable to attend due to illness.
“It’s a fabulous service,” Scheinman said. “Even if you have one little candle, it’ll light up the darkness.”
Sallie Kraus, another East Coast transplant who has lived in the Gold Coast for seven years, said she had been to every one of the downtown lightings since she moved to town except for one when COVID-19 was at its peak.
Kraus said her favorite part of the event was how it put people in a good mood and united people from across the city in celebrating the holiday.
“Everyone should feel a part of the holiday,” Kraus said. “To get people up and dancing and being part of the community. … We should have this all the time. A little bit of happiness doesn’t hurt.”
Hanukkah celebrations continue around the city and surrounding suburbs until the final night of candle lighting on Thursday.
