8 things to know about the National Menorah
Jamie Sharabani
During the winter holidays, you may notice an unusual-looking candelabra in the windows of some of the homes in your neighborhood. These candelabras have nine candle holders and are called menorahs. They are part of an eight-day Jewish celebration called Hanukkah, also traditionally known as Chanukah (The Festival of Lights). The Jewish festival commemorates the recovery of Jerusalem and the subsequent rededication of the Second Temple in the 2nd century B.C.
A ‘lit’ history
When the band of Jewish fighters called Maccabees reclaimed the Holy Temple and tried to re-light its menorah (an oil-based candelabrum), they found only enough purified oil to keep the menorah lit for one day. However, the oil kept the menorah lit for eight days, after which ritually purified oil was available. To commemorate these events, the annual holiday of Chanukah was created.
Candle, light, action
A centerpiece of Hanukkah is the lighting of a menorah. It contains eight candles, plus a central slot for the shamash (“servant”), which is used to light the other eight candles. On the first night of Hanukkah, a single candle is lit. Each succeeding night, an additional candle is lit, so all eight are burning on the final night. Families and friends will often gather and recite traditional blessings or sing songs together as they light the menorah.
The big one
Menorahs come in all different sizes with the biggest one sitting right in Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital. Every year, thousands of people gather together to light this tremendous menorah, with tens of millions viewing the event on their TVs.
Here are eight things to know about this grand ceremony that is held every year:
1. The first public menorah lighting to be recorded in the U.S. was in 1974 at Independence Mall in Washington, D.C. Ever since that first lighting, the public menorah lighting has become an annual tradition, not only in D.C. but across the world.
2. There are menorah lightings throughout many major cities including Jerusalem, Moscow, Philadelphia, and Sydney, Australia because of the one created in D.C.
3. It’s tall. The menorah that is lit in D.C. sits 30 feet tall–30 feet!
4. The menorah lighting in D.C. continues to be hailed by international media as the “most prominent public Chanukah event in the world” and is now held at The Ellipse, right across from the White House.
5. The event’s prominent guests include the president, the vice president, members of the Cabinet, and Congress, as well as many different celebrities over the years.
6. The ceremony is put together by the American Friends of Lubavitch, also known as Chabad, which is a branch of Orthodox Judaism, founded in Russia 250 years ago.
7. The National Menorah Lighting Ceremony stands as a symbol and celebration of freedom kindled by historic victories of justice over hate and bigotry and light over darkness as the candles of the menorah shine bright for everyone to see.
8. You can attend the ceremony this year too either in-person or online. If you live in the D.C. area, tickets to the event are available at https://nationalmenorah.org, and if you would like to tune into the event this year, you can also check out all the details on the website.
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Jamie Sharabani is a Public Health major at American University. Before attending American, she spent two years in a combat infantry unit in the Israeli military. Outside of school, Jamie is a D.C.-based freelance writer who enjoys attending events throughout the D.C. area, and is active in the Jewish community.
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