{"id":30362,"date":"2021-11-25T19:15:30","date_gmt":"2021-11-26T00:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=30362"},"modified":"2021-11-25T19:18:45","modified_gmt":"2021-11-26T00:18:45","slug":"a-small-light-can-dispel-a-lot-of-darkness-menorah-lighting-ceremony-to-be-beacon-for-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/a-small-light-can-dispel-a-lot-of-darkness-menorah-lighting-ceremony-to-be-beacon-for-community\/","title":{"rendered":"A small light can dispel a lot of darkness: Menorah Lighting ceremony to be beacon for community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the days continue to get shorter, now is the time to cast light into the darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will be a key theme when the Town comes together on Wednesday, December 1, from 6 \u2013 8 p.m. for the Aurora\u2019s fifth annual Menorah Lighting Ceremony at Town Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Co-hosted by the Town and Chabad Aurora, it is an event for individuals and families of all faiths, and will feature live entertainment and traditional food to mark Hanukkah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve teamed up with the Town to bring the universal message of freedom, light over darkness, perseverance and triumph over adversity to the community in this festival of light,\u201d says Rabbi Yossi Hecht of Chabad Aurora. \u201cIt is to bring out what is in them (community members): the strength and power each individual has and the difference they can make.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople sometimes feel lost and they feel isolated, especially when it comes to the holidays, and together at the Town, which really stands as a beacon of light because democracy is shining from that very beginning, we can bring that message across to so many of our residents during the holidays with this festival of lights.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The theme of casting light into the darkness was a theme Rabbi Hecht delivered to the community at last year\u2019s Menorah Lighting Ceremony, which was held under the pall of numerous health restrictions related to COVID-19. Over the more than 20 months since COVID-19 arrived, the world has shifted and, he says, the idea of light into darkness continues to resonate more than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen confronted with much darkness, a tiny light can dispel all,\u201d he says. \u201cBy lighting the menorah, it really brings out the idea that all it takes is a little bit \u2013 another act of goodness or kindness \u2013 to make a world of difference, especially in the times we find ourselves now. I think the world is at a critical moment and if there\u2019s one message we would really like to portray and amplify is one small light can dispel a whole lot of darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the perspective of Shelley Ware, Special Events Coordinator for the Town of Aurora, COVID has forced a lot of people to pause and reflect, often in isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowever you have been affected by COVID, we have all reflected and there has definitely been a dark time in this period,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen you look at annual gatherings like the Menorah Lighting, it is a guarantee and a constant that there will be light. I think, regardless of what your faith background is, the experience of Aurora\u2019s Menorah Lighting is welcomed. Not only will you experience the transition from light to darkness, you\u2019ll experience community again and wherever your faith lies you will feel something with this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hanukkah, notes Rabbi Hecht, is recognized the world over as a symbol of \u201ctriumph over oppression\u201d and of \u201cspirit over matter\u2026 that could be celebrated and should be celebrated by all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While details on the Menorah Lighting program are still being finalized, and are subject to change pending any modifications in public health guidelines as a result of the ongoing pandemic, organizers promise a blend of tradition \u2013 latkes, jelly donuts, and the Menorah lighting itself \u2013 along with some elements of surprise, all designed to create a joyous atmosphere for the whole family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And celebrations are not limited to just December 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the GooseChase app, the Town has developed an eight-day virtual community program where, according to Ms. Ware, \u201cpeople will be encouraged in a friendly competition manner to complete as many missions for their families as possible throughout the eight days of Hanukkah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis will lengthen your experience with the celebrations,\u201d she says, \u201cas Jewish families are very busy during Hanukkah with eight days of prayer and celebration \u2013\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd they do put on a lot of weight,\u201d interjects Rabbi Hecht with a laugh, looking ahead to the tasty treats that are part and parcel of the holiday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe always want to add one good deed because one good deed triggers another,\u201d he continues on the eight-day observance. \u201cWe light one candle the night before, and we\u2019re going to add onto it now. Every small act of goodness, every little bit of light continues. What we did yesterday is not enough for today. What we do today is not enough for tomorrow. We always have to add in our goodness and kindness and bring light into the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agrees Ms. Ware: \u201cEvery day we have choices and we can\u2019t count how many decisions we make in a day. As you choose to determine how to spend your evening on December 1, why not come out to the Menorah Lighting. If you haven\u2019t experienced one, you\u2019re really in for a treat.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir<\/strong>
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/em><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the days continue to get shorter, now is the time to cast light into the darkness. This will be a key theme when the Town comes together on Wednesday, December 1, from 6 \u2013 8 p.m. for the Aurora\u2019s fifth annual Menorah Lighting Ceremony at Town Hall. Co-hosted by the Town and Chabad Aurora, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-7TI","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-22 14:44:55","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30362\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}