HANUKKAH
The Menorah was lit, Jewish songs were sung and Latkes were shared on the Hays County Courthouse lawn on Dec. 17.
The Chabad of San Marcos held its annual Menorah Lighting in celebration of Hanukkah.
Rabbi Ari Weingarten said a few words about the recent terrorist attack in Australia.
“As we stand here in San Marcos, Texas, our hearts are with our brothers and sisters in Sydney, Australia, whose light was snuffed out because they were Jewish and they were celebrating their religious freedom,” Weingarten said. “We pray to the Almighty God that He gives comfort to the families, and he strengthens them so that they can go on and live a full life, even though their hearts are broken.”
He then led the crowd in the “Oseh Shalom” prayer for unity and peace.
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra gave a few words as “a true friend of the Jewish community,” welcoming the Chabad to the courthouse grounds for the ceremony for the ninth year.
“It’s important that the messages we convey are messages of light, of unity, of hope,” Becerra said. “It is my hope that … we remember, here on the courthouse grounds, that we are someone’s loved ones, that we are always one community. And when we see each other through that lens — someone’s brother, someone’s father, someone’s sister, someone’s mother — that we will be a little more patient with one another, that we will be a little more conscientious about the things we say and do.”
Weingarten gave Becerra the honor of kindling the Shamash, the ninth candle on the Menorah that does not signify a day of Hanukkah but lights the other candles. Weingarten pointed out that the Shamash is higher than the other candles, which is a beautiful metaphor for service to others.
“When a person serves others and they put themselves aside, that’s where true greatness is born,” Weingarten said.
