Large Turnout Expected for Menorah Lighting in State College

Chabad of Penn State will host its 18th annual public menorah lighting at 5 p.m. Sunday outside the State College Municipal Building, and Rabbi Nosson Meretsky said Chabad is expecting the largest turnout ever for the event.

Meretsky said in the wake of the anti-Semitic shooting on Dec. 10 in Jersey City, N.J. — as well deadly attacks last year at a Pittsburgh synagogue and earlier this year in Poway, Calif. — people within the Jewish community and beyond want to stand together against hatred as Hanukkah begins on Sunday evening.

“Hanukkah is the celebration of light over darkness,” said Meretsky, who directs Chabad of Penn State. “The darkness that we, as a nation, have been experiencing must be fought with light and goodness, and we are putting together our biggest program ever to show that we will not be intimidated by those who wish to scare us.”

The program will begin with a performance by the award-winning M Twirling Team. New State College Mayor Ron Filippelli will join in for the lighting of the 9-foot golden menorah in Bill Welch Plaza.

A reception with crafts, latkes, donuts, hot chocolate and more will follow in the lobby of the Municipal Building.

The menorah will remain on display through the eight nights of Hanukkah, which concludes the evening of Dec. 30. Meretsky said he expects another 9-foot menorah also to be in place at the Allen Street Gates.

Penn State’s semester ends on Friday and Meretsky said that would normally mean a crowd of about 20 to 30 people. But he has heard from people all over the county who are inspired and want to come out to publicly celebrate Hanukkah.

‘They really want to come out and be proud and stand with others,’ he said.

Hanukkah commemorates how a small band of Maccabees defeated the powerful Greek-Syrian army and reclaimed the temple in Jerusalem, then how a small jug of oil fueled the menorah in the temple for eight days. 

Meretsky said that story has many important messages for people of all faiths.

‘The Hanukkah candles are lit specifically at nighttime to show we’re adding light to the darkness. We’re counteracting the darkness with light,’ he said. ‘If you have a dark room, you don’t counteract it with a sword. You turn on a light and the darkness disappears. In a time we are seeing darkness — a year ago in Pittsburgh, recently in Poway and then just a week or so ago in Jersey City — one of the ways we can really counteract that darkness is just by adding light.’

He added that it is also about celebrating heritage and individuality.

‘If you look at the Hanukkah story, you had this small band of people and all odds were against them. They were very outnumbered. They were still able to be victorious and reclaim the temple,’ he said. ‘The Greek-Syrian army basically wanted everyone to be like them, to erase all kind of individuality and culture. The victory of Hanukkah is really in a sense a victory for all people who want to retain a connection to their identity, to their heritage. Everyone has a heritage and culture and customs. It’s a time for everyone to celebrate that we have those freedoms, that we can come out in the open and be proud of who we are.’

Local resident Wendy Share said she plans to attend the menorah lighting for the first time so that she can publicly celebrate her Jewish identity and heritage.

“They want us to be afraid—to fear proudly proclaiming our Jewish identity,” she said. “I usually just light the menorah at home, but with all the anti-Semitism we are witnessing around us, I’m also going to join the public menorah lighting because I think this is the most effective thing we can do to fight evil. We need to be taking it head on.”

Meretsky added that the annual event is an enjoyable time for all and everyone is welcome

‘It should be a fun time for everybody and it’s just a really nice yearly get together,’ he said.