Hanukkah, the annual eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights, kicked off Thursday, and Chabad centers throughout the St. Louis area will be hosting more than a dozen socially distanced Hanukkah celebrations across the region.

Festivities include a grand car menorah parade, the lighting of Missouri’s tallest menorah and menorah lightings at St. Charles’ “Chanukah on Main Street” each night of the eight-day holiday. Chabad of Greater St. Louis will also be distributing free menorahs, candles and Hanukkah-at-home kits to those celebrating at home.

This year, the holiday has added significance, as so many families and individuals will be isolated at home amidst the pandemic. To ensure everyone’s safety, attendance at the outdoor menorah lightings will be limited, and social distancing and mask wearing will be observed. 

To join a safe celebration near you and to order a Chanukah kit, visit: www.ShowMeChabad.com/Chanukah

Events:

Upcoming events:

Chanukah on Main Street in St. Charles – Dec. 10 – 17 

Chanukah Crowd Lighting for Young Adults – Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Chanukah Car Menorah Parade – Dec. 13 at 5:15-7:15 p.m.

Chanukah Menorah Lighting @ New Town – Dec. 17 at 5:30-6 p.m.

Past events:

Virtual Pre-Chanukah Olive Oil Factory – Dec. 3 at 6:30 p.m. 

The Home Depot Chanukah Experience, in a Box! – Dec. 6-10 p.m.

JGals Light Up the Night – Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. 

Virtual ‘Show Me Chanukah’ with the Governor – Dec. 10 

Lighting of Missouri’s Tallest Menorah in University City – Dec. 10 at 6:30 p.m.

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, began this year on the evening of Thursday, Dec. 10 and concludes the evening of Friday, Dec. 18. It recalls the victory of a militarily weak Jewish people who defeated the Syrian Greeks who had overrun ancient Israel and sought to impose restrictions on the Jewish way of life and prohibit religious freedom. They also desecrated and defiled the Temple and the oils prepared for the lighting of the menorah, which was part of the daily service. Upon recapturing the Temple, only one jar of undefiled oil was found, enough to burn only one day, but it lasted miraculously for eight.

In commemoration, Jews celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting an eight-branched candelabrum known as a menorah. Today, people of all faiths consider the holiday a symbol and message of the triumph of freedom over oppression, of spirit over matter, of light over darkness

These holiday events are part of the worldwide Hanukkah campaign launched by the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, in 1973. Collectively, the area Chabad centers are preparing to reach an estimated 10,000 local Jews this Chanukah season.

“The campaign highlights and encourages the central theme of the holiday — publicizing the story of the Hanukkah miracle and the victory of light over darkness, a message of hope greatly needed today,” the Chabad said in a news release.

“The Rebbe often taught that light can illuminate the greatest darkness and that light and goodness will always prevail,” said Rabbi Yosef Landa, regional director of Chabad of Greater St. Louis. “The kindling of the menorah, which is the central observance of Chanukah, serves as a reminder of our responsibility to bring light and warmth to those around us, even in the darkest and most difficult of times.”