EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The Jewish community in El Paso is set to celebrate the first night of Hannukah with a public menorah lighting at the Chabad Lubavitch Center for Jewish Life on Sunday.
County Judge Ricardo Samaniego will light the tallest candle, known as the Shamash, on the 10-foot menorah at 4 p.m.
The event follows the Hannukah Playland and Amazing Circus, which begins at 1:30 p.m. and features inflatable rides, arts and crafts, games, face painting, and a circus performance.
Rabbi Levi Greenberg emphasized the menorah as a symbol of religious freedom, saying, “The menorah serves as a symbol of El Paso’s dedication to preserve and encourage the right and liberty of all its citizens to worship Gd freely, openly, and with pride.”
The menorah lighting is part of a global campaign initiated by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson in 1973 to publicize the Hannukah miracle.
Rabbi Greenberg added, “The message of Hannukah is the message of light. The nature of light is that it is always victorious over darkness.” El Paso’s public menorahs join over 15,000 worldwide, including displays at landmarks such as the White House and the Eiffel Tower.
The event is free and open to the community.