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Those attending the 14th annual public menorah lighting and celebration of Hanukkah at the Lynnwood City Center Light Rail Station Sunday heard a message of hope from local leaders, who encouraged the crowd to shine a light during dark times.
“A small flame can push back a great deal of darkness,” County Executive Dave Somers said to the crowd. “One light can become many. And when we gather together, as we are doing now, those lights don’t diminish each other. They grow stronger.”
The celebration comes just one week after the Dec. 14 mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach targeting a Hanukkah celebration. In a statement following the shooting, Rabbi Berel Paltiel — who leads the Lynnwood-based Chabad of Snohomish County — said that the Lynnwood celebration would proceed as planned.
According to Chabad.org, the Hanukkah story — commemorated each year on the eight-day festival of Hanukkah (Chanukah) — “is one of light over darkness. It celebrates the victory of the Maccabees, Jewish freedom fighters, who routed the Syrian-Greeks from the Holy Land and restored the Temple service. The culmination of the miracle was when a small bottle of pure oil — enough to fuel the Temple menorah for one day — burned for eight days straight.”
Referring the Maccabees’ courage 2,000 years ago, Paltiel said: “In the fight between evil and good, evil really does not stand a chance. And that’s because evil does not have substance. Evil is simply the absence of light.”
“When they do irrational acts of terror, do irrational acts of kindness and goodness,” Paltiel added.
State Sen. Jesse Salomon, who represents the 32nd Legislative District, called Hanukkah “the perfect holiday for these times.”
“History proves that we are a resilient people — that we will continue and go on,” said Salomon, who serves as co-chair of the state’s Jewish Legislative Caucus.
The Hanukkah event featured lighting of a 9-foot Menorah, holiday treats, hot drinks, face painting, balloon twisting, personal Menorah kits and live music. For the third year, a ladder truck from South County Fire entertained kids and adults alike with a “Gelt Drop,” showering parachutes containing chocolate coins from above.
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