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With Hanukkah-inspired techno music playing minutes prior, Hendricks Chapel Dean Brian Konkol lit the “shamash,” or the serving candle, of a menorah outside Hendricks Chapel Tuesday night for the third night of Hanukkah.

In addition to tonight’s ceremony, there will be candle lightings for the menorah in Clinton Square. From Nov. 28 to Dec. 2, the menorah will be lit at 4:30 p.m. On Dec. 3, it will be lit at 3:37 p.m. On Friday, Dec. 4, the lighting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Finally, on Dec. 4, it will be lit at 4:30 p.m.

Chabad House at SU hosted the lighting at Hendricks Chapel, and the group will be hosting a Hanukkah party at 825 Ostrom Ave. on Dec. 1.

Rabbi Yaakov Rapoport, the director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Central New York and senior rabbi of SU’s Chabad House, said that the group has held the public menorah lighting for around 10 years now.

While the first years of lightings drew crowds of around 10, Rabbi Yaakov Rappaport said that 30-40 people have typically attended in recent years.

Prior to the lighting, Rabbi Mendy Rapoport dedicated the lighting to Eli Kay, a friend of his who was killed last week in Jerusalem.

“He can no longer light the Hanukkah menorah, but we are lighting the Hanukkah menorah,” Mendy said. “The world needs light now more than ever, so this is for Eli.”

On the steps of Hendricks Chapel, Yaakov then presided over the lighting in front of the crowd of over 20.

“The only way we’ll change this world is if we’re not satisfied with the work we did today… we have to continue to add to it,” Yaakov said.

Andrew Sender, a freshman at SU, lit the remaining three candles for the third night of Hanukkah.

Katherine Harrison, a sophomore at SU and the social chair of SU’s Chabad House, said that the personal meaning she finds in Hanukkah is hard to explain.

“Maybe community,” she said, “A lot of Jewish kids feel left out with Christmas, so it’s nice … it reminds me of home.”

Yaakov said that the story of Hanukkah is one about light overcoming darkness.

“(It is a story of) a small group whose belief in one God went against the whole world, and they weren’t subdued,” he said.

Published on November 30, 2021 at 10:56 pm

Contact Kyle: kschouin@syr.edu | @Kyle_Chouinard