Hanukkah Menorah on display for the first me at Hawai’i County Building
Hanukkah Menorah on display for the first me at Hawai’i County Building
Rabbi Rachel and the congregaon of Ahava ‘Aina has provided an eight-foot Hanukkah Menorah for the 2022 “Magic of the Season” Holiday Open House at the Hawai’i County Building at 25 Aupuni Street in Hilo.
I don’t have words to describe how I feel about Hanukkah finally being a part of the celebraon at the County Building,” said Rabbi Rachel Short. We are beyond thankful to Mayor Mitch Roth and the County
of Hawaii for providing space for the Menorah, a symbol of light, miracles, hope, faith, and freedom for all. With ansemism on the rise, having the first menorah ever in the County building means more than I can even begin to express. This is history.”
The Hanukkah Menorah has eight candleholders of the same height, with a ninth branch set higher than the rest. Olive oil was tradionally used to light the Hanukkah Menorah, later replaced by candles.
“Having the first menorah in the County of Hawai’i building is a proud accomplishment for our administraon,” said Mayor Mitch Roth. “The menorah is a symbol of the miracle of light, which is of great significance as we come out of these hard mes.”
This is the first me that the County Building has displayed a Hanukkah Menorah; it’s part of a larger display that includes various Christmas trees, cartoon characters, and Christmas decoraons.
The “Magic of the Season” Holiday Open House is 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. every day from December 12th to 16th. Nightly celebraons include live music, food trucks and keiki acvies, and the enre community is invited to come and join in the celebraon.
Mayor Mitch Roth and Rabbi Rachel will be lighng a menorah in front of the display on the second night of Hanukkah, Monday, December 19th 2022 at 5:30pm. The community is invited to join them for this monumental occasion.
Ahava Aina is a 501c3 non-profit led by Rabbi Rachel Short on a mission to heal the world, and build the first Jewish cultural community center and synagogue in East Hawaii.
