Light It Up
If You Go
JCC: Hanukkah at Fountain Square
Sunday, Dec. 5, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Fountain Square, 520 Vine St.
Celebrate the end of Hanukkah with the Cincinnati Jewish Community! Details at www.jewishcincy200.org.
Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights comes at the time of year when we need it the most, as the nights grow longer.
This Sunday, several local Jewish organizations are inviting the community to celebrate the final night of Hanukkah on Fountain Square.
“Fountain Square is the heart of Cincinnati. It’s one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city and is the central gathering place for the Cincinnati community,” says Devra Silverman, youth and family programming specialist at the Mayerson JCC. “Fountain Square is the centerpiece of the city’s major festivals…its centrality and prominence are unmatched.”
The menorah lighting ceremony will be led by Rabbi Yosef Kalmanson of Chabad of Southern Ohio. He will share the story and traditions of Hanukkah as well as offer a modern context about hosting this holiday celebration on Fountain Square. Representatives from the event’s sponsors and organizers, the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, the Mayerson JCC, The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial, The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, the Jewish Community Relations Council, Camp Livingston, and Chabad of Southern Ohio, will also light candles.
“We felt that it was important to honor the diversity of our community by showcasing many of the organizations that make our community so rich and vibrant,” says Silverman.
The evening will also include a presentation from Jackie Congedo, the director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, about the Shine a Light campaign (see below). She address the the rise of antisemitism nationally, as well as here locally, and offer resources available in the community so we can dispel the darkness of antisemitism.
“It’s important to our Jewish community, particularly in our 200th year of Jewish life in Cincinnati, to host the last night of Hanukkah because we are a vibrant and important part of the Cincinnati culture—and we want to include all of Cincinnati in our celebration,” says Silverman.
