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The second night for Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, will be marked this evening at University of Sussex, with the lighting of the Menorah/Hanukkiah in Library Square on Monday 15 Dec, at 4.00pm.
In the shadow of the horrendous attacks at the Hanukkah event in on Bondi Beach in Sydney yesterday, the positive messages of Hanukkah, those of hope, light, goodness and resilience, are ever more important.
Hanukkah (or Chanukah) honours the Jews' struggle for religious freedom in Jerusalem, during the reign of the Greek Hellenist empire 2,100 years ago. Today, people of all faiths consider it a symbol and message of the triumph of freedom over oppression, of spirit over matter, of light over darkness.
The Hanukkah holiday, this year 14 December-22 December 2023, is observed by lighting candles, starting with one candle on the first night and then adding one more candle each night, for eight nights, on a candelabrum known as a menorah or hanukkiah..
In keeping with the Hanukkah tradition of eating fried foods, such as doughnuts, jam doughnuts will be distributed at the event.
“The Hanukkah message emphasises the power of light,” says the University’s Jewish Faith Advisor, Rabbi Zalman Lewis, who organizes the annual event. “The very nature of light is that it is always victorious over darkness. Even a very small amount of light dispels a lot of darkness. In an often dark and confusing world, we take comfort and empowerment knowing the positive value in our acts of goodness and kindness. Each good deed that we perform adds another ray of light and hope, making a ripple effect of change for a better world”.
Today, the unprecedented public display of Hanukkah has become a staple of Jewish cultural and religious life. Similar public displays bring the joyful Chanukah spirit to life across the UK, and in over 100 countries around the world, enabling people of all walks of life to discover and enjoy the holiday messages.
Rabbi Lewis serves as Jewish Chaplain at University of Sussex, as well as at the Universities of Brighton, Kent and Southampton. He is director of Chabad Lubavitch SE Coast Universities, based in Brighton, which offers Jewish educational, outreach and social service programming for university students in Brighton and along the south-east coastline.
For more information, call Rabbi Lewis on 07779 008 268, email Z.Lewis@sussex.ac.uk or visit ChabadSussex.org.
- More information about Hanukkah