CHABAD JEWISH CENTER OF SAN MARCOS
Chabad Jewish Center of San Marcos will light a 12-foot Hanukkah menorah candelabra at the Hays County Courthouse on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 5:30 p.m. It is the fourth night of the eight-day Jewish holiday. Following the menorah lighting there will be dancing, live music, traditional Hanukkah food and Hanukkah gifts. Everyone is welcome at the event.
Chabad of San Marcos and Texas State University hosted a Menorah Lighting last year on the downtown Square Sunday. Daily Record photo by Shannon West
“The message of Hanukkah is the message of light,” says local Rabbi Ari Weingarten. “The nature of light is that it is always victorious over darkness. A small amount of light dispels a lot of darkness.”
Historically, Hanukkah dates to 168 BCE, when according to the legend, the Jewish Maccabees entered the Temple in Jerusalem and reclaimed it from the Greeks whom they had just defeated in battle. The priests immediately relit the candelabra that burned constantly in the Temple. Unfortunately, they found only a single jar of oil, which was sufficient for only one day. The messenger who was sent to secure additional oil took eight days to complete his mission, and miraculously, the single jar of oil continued to burn until his return. The eight days of Hanukkah signify the miracle of the single jar of oil that burned for eight days instead of just one.
San Marcos’s menorah is one of more than 15,000 large public menorahs sponsored by Chabad congregations in more than 100 countries around the world, including in front of landmarks such as the White House, the Eiffel Tower and the Kremlin.
Rabbi Ari Weingarten next to the menorah at last year’s lighting ceremony. Daily Record photo by Shannon West
