City and Local Temple Light Menorah for Chanukah

City officials and members of Chabad of Peabody gathered on the steps of City Hall Sunday evening to publicly light a menorah in recognition of the Jewish holiday season of Chanukah.

The first full day of Chanukah was actually on Thanksgiving, a rare occurrence, and Rabbi Nechemia Schusterman and congregants again celebrated with a party and a Grand Menorah Lighting over at the Northshore Mall that Wednesday.

Schusterman said Sunday he was going to forgo the tradition of lighting the menorah at City Hall this year due to the timing and other factors, but School Committee member Jarrod Hochman and Mayor Ted Bettencourt insisted they should still do it.

Due to the rain Sunday, they settled for lighting the candles on a small menorah lamp while a larger menorah with nine lightbulbs sits on the front lawn of City Hall where it will remain for the rest of Chanukah, which lasts for eight days.

Schusterman said, during a brief ceremony, it took a while to make the ceremony happen each year at City Hall, but he felt it was important to publicly remember the story.

Briefly, Chanukah remembers the Jews' persecution and revolt against Greek-Syrian oppressors in the second century B.C. and the subsequent re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.