SYLVANIA, Ohio — The menorah is a candelabra that many, even outside the Jewish faith, can recognize. It holds nine candles, eight representing the number of days that Hanukkah is celebrated.
Known as a Festival of Light, Daniel Pearlman of the Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo, said Hanukah's history dates back over 22,000 years ago. Pearlman said that during that time, there was a Syrian-Greek king who entered Israel where Jews were living. The king tried to make them convert or have them killed. The Jews fought back and won. Hanukkah symbolizes the freedom of the Jewish people.
"In many ways, Hanukkah symbolizes the freedom of religion, and the freedom to practice one's faith freely," Pearlman said. "As a minority faith in the country today, we continue to celebrate this holiday. It is very important to us."
In recent years, Pearlman said anti-semitism has been on the rise.
"About one in four Jews have personally experienced antisemitism in the past few years," said Pearlman. "Anti-Semitism is a growing threat, and we want to be able to shine a light on this. To have other people stand in solidarity with us to combat this rising trend."
WTOL 11 also spoke to a local rabbi, Rabbi Shemtov, who said, "When confronted with hatred, the public menorah is more important than ever. We can have no better response to negativity we encounter than to proudly gather together, in even greater numbers than before, and celebrate the light of the menorah in public."
Hanukah ends next Monday, Dec. 26.
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