Jews in Turkey Light 8th Candle of Hanukkah for Peace

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500th Year Foundation Turkish Jews Museum and Neve Şalom Synagoguge opened its doors at the Hanukkah of the Jews. Eight candle of the Hanukkah was lit.

Rabbi Rav İsak Haleva explained the history and purpose of the Hanukkah celebration in İstanbul’s biggest hose of prayer of the Jewish community in Turkey.

Hanukkah, which starts to be celebrated on 25th day of Kislev month, lasts for eight days. To start on December 12 this year, Hanukkah is celebrated with the candles lit one by one each day in memory of Jews revolt against the Seleucid Empire. Hanukkah is also known as “Hag Ameorot/Festival of Lights”.

The attacks were memorialized as well

In his speech, Haleva also memorialized the attacks launched on Neve Şalom Synagogue in 1986, 1992 and 2003. “Neve Şalom and our other synagogues managed to stay standing after such attacks”, Rabbi Haleva said.

Following Rabbi Haleva’s speech, 500th Year Foundation Chair Avi Cavit Habib and Rabbi Haleva lit the eighth on the final day. Museum Director Nisya İşman Allovi said, “We light our candles for ‘Peace’ in the miracle of light this year”.

Non-Jewish visitors attended the celebration as well. On the last day of the festival, a dessert called Sagunyat peculiar to the Jews in Poland were treated.

About Hanukkah

Hanukkah (/ˈhɑːnəkə/ HAH-nə-kə; Hebrew: חֲנֻכָּה khanuká, Tiberian: khanuká, usually spelled חנוכה, pronounced [χanuˈka] in Modern Hebrew, [ˈχanukə] or [ˈχanikə] in Yiddish; a transliteration also romanized as Chanukah or Ḥanukah) is a Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire.

Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar. It is also known as the Festival of Lights and the Feast of Dedication.

The festival is observed by lighting the candles of a candelabrum with nine branches, called a Hanukkah menorah (or hanukkiah). One branch is typically placed above or below the others and its candle is used to light the other eight candles. This unique candle is called the shamash (Hebrew: שמש‎, "attendant"). Each night, one additional candle is lit by the shamash until all eight candles are lit together on the final night of the holiday.

Other Hanukkah festivities include playing dreidel and eating oil-based foods such as doughnuts and latkes. Since the 1970s, the worldwide Chabad Hasidic movement has initiated public menorah lightings in open public places in many countries. (Source: Wikipedia) (PT/TK)