WASHINGTON — Hundreds of people came from around the country to help celebrate Hanukkah with the lighting of the National Menorah on the Ellipse on Sunday.
It’s a tradition less than 40 years old in the nation’s capital, just a blink of time compared to the thousands of years the Jewish holiday has been celebrated.
Daniel Igershein and his wife Dara, who live in the Bloomingdale section of D.C., brought their young son Bram here for the first time. But it sounds like this probably won’t be the last time they bring him.
“We wanted to come check it out,” Dara said. “My son loves Hanukkah and celebrating so we wanted to see them light the menorah.”
The event is hosted by the American Friends of Lubavitch. This year’s celebration included performances by the musical group “8th Day” and Grammy-winning violinist Miri Ben Ari.
Rachel Tenenbaum of Miami was also here for the first time. To her, Hanukkah means “miracles” and that “anything can happen.”
“It was the small army defeated the big army,” she said, “and shows that there can be more miracles. And there has been throughout the history of Israel, and there will continue to be.”
Echoing the sentiments that many of the event’s speakers expressed, Andrew Gaynor of Newark, Delaware, said Hanukkah is about the idea that “a little light can dispel a lot of darkness.”
“So in dark times it’s always important to add light and be a light,” he said.
Undersecretary of the Treasury Adam Zubin was chosen to help light the giant candles on Sunday night. He said he was hopeful the sentiment behind Hanukkah would be an inspiration to others.
“My hope is that our lights steadily increase, until the world is illuminated by a continual and unwavering light.”
