SWAMPSCOTT — The celebration of Hanukkah has begun and a local temple started it off with a tradition of its own.
For the first time, Congregation Shirat Hayam held a public lighting with their new menorah that sits out front.
“The two major reasons for celebrating Hanukkah are the military victory of the Maccabees and telling the story of the miracle of oil,” said Rabbi Michael Ragozin.
Early Tuesday evening, the first night of the holiday, students and staff of the temple gathered outside together, thankful, they said, for the warm weather and excited for the lighting. Accompanied by Cantor Elana Rozenfeld on guitar, the children sang the blessings along with Ragozin as he lit the menorah.
“The first blessing is for the candles, the second blessing is for the miracles, and the third blessing is for being alive,” said Ragozin as he guided the students through the lighting.
The Rabbi, who started at the temple two years ago, emphasized the push for publicity in lighting the menorah which showcases the pride of being Jewish. After contacting Michael Cohen of A-1 Lighting Service, they collaborated on building the giant menorah.
“The new menorah is really exciting because it’s so big, everyone gets to see it,” said 10-year-old Morgan Zion, who has been attending Congregation Shirat Hayam for the past seven years.
Using sheets printed out for them that account for all of the songs and blessings, the children showcased their religious pride and excitement of their temple’s new menorah. Along with being excited for this new tradition, they were really excited for the first night of gifts that awaited all of them at home, they said.
“I love the presents, I get one each night from each family member and they usually do a good job of picking them out for me,” said 12-year-old Samara Krawitz, who has been a part of the temple since preschool.
As the first night of Hanukkah came to an end, Ragozin smiled as the first night of their new tradition ended with success. After the lighting the students headed back to the classrooms to learn even more about the miracles behind the tradition of celebrating Hanukkah.
“The reason we light the menorah, according to our tradition, is to let the world know about this miracle of Hanukkah and within that there’s a push for doing it publicly,” he said. “It can help us understand why today we continue to celebrate being Jewish in a world where it’s not always so easy.”