Chanukah in Zilina
Ner Micva – the festival of Lights – Chanukah, is yet another traditional occasion, when we meet to celebrate and chant together Chanukah songs. This years Chanukah party took place on December 21, 2008 – Kislev 24, 5769 right on the first day of this eight-day long holiday.
The celebration opened Rabbi Zev Stiefel, who has visited us once again. There were songs and poems, even a short Chanukah story recited by our children in the short program they have prepared.
“The festival of lights, Chanukah, the time when we kindle more and more candles on eight-branched Menorah every day, gives us also a chance to send a message to the sometime hostile world, that even a small flame, a small light, can lighten the whole space and prevail over the darkness.” Said the Rabbi, among other things.
Recalling the rules of the “dreidl” game, which remind us of “The great miracle happened there”, when the lights of Menorah burned for eight days in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, with the oil supplies sufficient only for one, cheered up the atmosphere of the celebration.
After the first candle was kindled with a help of “shamash” and a blessing was made over the Chanukah lights by Rabbi Zev, the Chanukah songs like Oy, Chanukah or Maoz Tzur, filed up the room with the joy and happiness.
There were plenty of refreshments. Donuts and especially potato latkes, traditional Chanukah meal, made by rabbi’s wife Bina, added the finishing touches to the truly festival atmosphere.
