State House Menorah Lit To Mark Start Of Hanukkah
BOSTON (AP) — An 18-foot menorah has been lit at the Massachusetts Statehouse to mark the beginning of the eight-day Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
A large crowd watched Tuesday as Gov. Deval Patrick, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Rabbi Rachmiel Liberman were lifted in a small crane to light the first candle on the menorah near the Grand Staircase.
Hanukkhah began at sundown on Tuesday. The Jewish Festival of Lights commemorates the rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees after their victory over the Syrians in ancient times.
The Statehouse ceremony was one of several being held around the state, including the lighting of a 22-foot menorah on Boston Common.
In Springfield, Mayor Domenic Sarno was to attend the lighting of a menorah in Springfield's Court Square.
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