By Stephen Silver
Last year’s Jewish Federation celebration of Chanukah in Center City, which took place just two months after the events of Oct. 7, was held indoors, at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History. But the event went back outdoors for this year’s edition on Dec. 26, as community members gathered in Rittenhouse Square to sing songs, recite blessings and chew on sufganiyot, before and after the menorah lighting. There were 250 people in attendance on that fairly cold evening, the Federation said, and there were no protests or disruptions.
Presented by the Federation itself and the Federation-sponsored Center City Kehillah, the event featured prayers and remarks from local rabbis and lay leaders, as well as the visiting consul general of Israel in New York, Ofir Akunis. The large menorah was brought by Rabbi Yochonon Goldman of B’nai Abraham Chabad.
“It’s a blessing to gather in this beautiful public and outdoor space to celebrate the holiday of Chanukah, to dispel the darkness with some light, and proudly represent Jewish Philadelphians with traditions that have sustained our people for so long,” Melanie Hilman, a board member of Spruce Street Minyan and a leader of Center City Kehillah, said in opening remarks.
Delivering a community blessing was Rabbanit Hadas (Dasi) Fruchter of the South Philadelphia Shtiebel.
“I’ve been asked to give a community blessing, which is a little funny, because I think this community is the blessing in some ways,” she said. Noting that Jews are not permitted to use the Chanukah lights for “anything practical,” she stated that “my invitation to us, as a Center City community, Jewish community … is to look at the divine light and miracles we have right in front of us and not use it for anything for eight days, but to examine it, to say ‘How holy is this? How wonderful is this?’ Let’s bask in that light, today, tonight and beyond, and we’ll be stronger on the other side.”
Rabbi Steven Gotlib, the recently arrived associate rabbi of Mekor Habracha, delivered a D’Var Torah, in which he pointed out that while the best-known miracle of Chanukah was that the oil burned for eight nights, the true lesson was on the first night; the Maccabees said, “We’re going to give this a shot. We know it’s only going to last for one night … but we are going to do everything in our power to shine as brightly as possible.”
“We are going to try our hardest to light not only this menorah, this Chanukah, but our souls themselves, to embrace our Judaism, proudly and publicly, because what it means to be a Jew is that no matter what odds are against us, no matter what it is that we are facing, no matter how many challenges, no matter how much antisemitism, we are going to shine as brightly as possible in response,” Rabbi Gotlib added. “The response to those who want to silence Jews and hide us, is not to hide, is not to dim ourselves, but to shine as brightly as we possibly can.”
Ofir Akunis addressed Oct. 7 and the war more directly than the other speakers at the event.
“For 2,000 years, this is what we have celebrated,” he said. “The fact that we have been fighting for this land for so long, the land of Israel, the promised land, our land, is the greatest proof of all that the Jewish people and the state of Israel are forever tied together. And we have been engaged in this same struggle since Oct. 7.
“Then, as now, our faith has been our defense against foreign invaders with genocidal goals,” the consul general added, likening the IDF soldiers — including two of his children — to “the new Maccabees.”
Akunis also spoke of “signs of a new Middle East,” following the overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria and the killings by Israel of the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah.
“Every step of the way, I am so grateful to you, for standing with Israel, in word and in deed.”
Akunis, who served two stints as Israel’s minister of science and technology, took over in May as the consul general, a role in which he represents Israel in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Also part of the event, both before and after the remarks, was musician Michael Smolen, who sang and strummed a mix of traditional tunes, Chanukah songs and some compositions by Debbie Friedman.
6ABC and Fox 29 were on hand to cover the event.
“Over the past year, the Jewish community in Greater Philadelphia, Israel and around the world has demonstrated remarkable strength and unity in the face of growing challenges,” Michael Balaban, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, told the Exponent.
“As we look to the year ahead, this celebration shines a light on the resilience of our people, the richness of our traditions and our shared promise to one another — our kehillah, our community — that we stand together with hope and determination,” he added.
Stephen Silver is a Broomall-based freelance writer.