the holiday spirit
Boiseans Celebrate Chanukah at Grand Menorah Lighting
By J. Gelband, 12-09-07
Sunday night was the sixth night of Chanukah. Boiseans celebrated the Jewish Festival of Lights with a crowded gathering at the giant menorah on Capitol Boulevard.
Chabad Jewish Center of Idaho hosted the Grand Menorah Lighting party for the dozens of revelers who braved the cold and avoided black ice to dance the Hora in a parking lot beneath the giant menorah.
A crowd similarly festive, though smaller, turned out for the menorah lighting as did for the state’s Christmas tree lighting last week.
Chanukah, often confused for being the “Jewish Christmas” is actually a celebratory holiday rather than a religious holy day. The eight-day festival celebrates the victory of Judea over Greece more than 21 centuries ago and begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month Kislev, which happened to fall on Dec. 4 this year.
For the abridged story of Chanukah, read this.
Chabad’s Grand Menorah Lighting was a party, complete with dancing, music and food.
Oil plays a significant role in the celebration of Chanukah, as only a one-day supply had survived the war but it burned for eight days, so traditional Chanukah foods are cooked in oil. Chabad celebrated at the tree lighting with latkes, fried potato pancakes, and donuts.
Get recipes for latkes, both traditional and slightly less traditional styles, here.
There are two more days of Chanukah, so if you haven’t yet had the chance, check out the beautiful menorah on Capitol at Myrtle Street, and then treat yourself to some fried potatoes. This is Idaho; they are easy to come by.
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