Around 100 members of Guelph’s Jewish community convened at city hall Sunday for the sixth annual Chanukah celebration at city hall.
Organized by Chabad of Guelph and led by Rabbi Raphi Steiner, the community event featured traditional Hanukkah food like latkes and sufganiyot (jelly donuts), and family-friendly activities like spin the dreidel and cookie decorating.
The indoor activities were followed by the ceremonial lighting of a nine-foot tall menorah.
“Tonight we are here to celebrate. We celebrate the miracle, we celebrate light over darkness, we celebrate the opportunity to be proud Jews wherever we are,” said Rabbi Steiner before the ceremony.
“In a year when more attention than ever has been drawn in the rhetoric of antisemitism, we remind ourselves (that) each and every one of us casts a unique light that illuminate our planet. Every one of us was born an original that can and will make a difference, you must only try,” he said.
MP Lloyd Longfield, MPP Mike Schreiner and Mayor Cam Guthrie were all in attendance.
After the ceremony, Chanukah gelt (chocolate coins) were tossed for children to catch.
Sunday marked the first night of the eight day Festival of Lights.
