Melrose Celebrates First Night of Hanukkah with Menorah Lighting at City Hall
Written and Photographed By Ellen Putnam and Nancy Clover
On Sunday evening, the first night of the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah, dozens of Melrosians gathered in front of City Hall to mark the occasion and support our Jewish neighbors.
It is not unusual in the region for cities to host official menorah lightings, similar to official Christmas tree lightings (which Melrose has done during Home for the Holidays for years), but this is the first year that Melrose has held an official event in recognition of Hanukkah. The event was co-hosted by the City of Melrose and Temple Beth Shalom.
Two tragic events were in the minds of many participants as they gathered: the shooting at Brown University on Saturday and the attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia earlier in the day. Many of those gathered were Jewish Melrosians, determined not to allow violence to dim the spirit of the holiday. Other Melrosians gathered to show solidarity with our Jewish neighbors.
In spite of the cold and some light snow flurries, attendance at the event greatly exceeded the organizers' expectations: Lowenthal quipped that they had only printed out 25 song sheets, which quickly ran out even with attendees sharing them.
Melrose residents made the first official menorah lighting a great success, and we hope this will become an annual event!
