Hanukkah lights up the night

On Saturday evening, gathered around eight tables at the Kalispell Hampton Inn, Jews from the Flathead Valley came together to light candles, sing songs and share a meal.

This is the season of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, which commemorates a miracle that happened in the Temple in Jerusalem. The festival began at sunset on Dec. 2, and concludes today at nightfall.

In the center of the room there was one table reserved for the hanukkiah, the special menorah with nine branches instead of the seven-branched menorah from the ancient temple. Most of the families in attendance have brought one for the celebration.

Rabbi Francine Roston, leader of the Glacier Jewish Community/B’nai Shalom, stood and invited a representative of each family to come light the candles. She explained that the children were given dreidels, or spinning tops, from Israel as gifts. Here in Montana, the dreidels’ letters represent the phrase “Nes gadol haya sham,” which means, “A great miracle happened there.” But in Israel, where the miracle happened, the dreidels’ letters will be slightly different. The phrase they represent is “Nes gadol haya po,” which means, “A great miracle happened here.”

As people gathered around the table in the center the lights were dimmed and the candles lit. The people sang “Maoz Tzur” and other songs accompanied by Erica Von Kleist and Sky Thoreson.

Roston tells those assembled to take comfort in the gathering. Jewish communities around the world were devastated just over a month ago by a mass shooting at the Tree of Life/Or L’Simcha Congregation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On Oct. 27, during Shabbat morning services, 11 people were killed and seven were injured in the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the United States.

Roston, who recently returned from a condolence visit to the Pittsburgh Jewish community, told those gathered that she had received cards of support and condolence from people around the Flathead Valley. She told the families where the cards were on display and invited them to take a card home for themselves at the end of the evening.

One of the strengths of the Jewish community is the way they hold onto their faith. In the light of the recent attack Hanukkah takes on a deeper meaning.

“Remember how many times they’ve tried to destroy the Jewish people,” Roston said. “Remember how many times they’ve tried to pressure us to abandon our religion. And what do we do? We gather to remember the power of our traditions.”

“With all the Santas and Christmas trees I often feel like I am one little Jewish girl alone here. I imagine there are many of you who feel the same. But we are not alone. Look around this room,” Roston said.

“If the Temple is destroyed we rebuild. If the synagogue is damaged we rebuild. We rebuild and we move on together,” she said.

As the evening came to a close, kids bundled up, many hugs and farewells were shared. The Festival of Lights has brought light and warmth to the hearts of those who attended.

The candles have all burned down and are extinguished, but the power of the evening remains in the echo of the songs they have sung such as “Light One Candle,” by Peter Yarrow:

“Light one candle for the strength that we need to never become our own foe;

Light one candle for those who are suffering the pain that we learned long ago;

Light one candle for all we believe in, that anger not tear us apart;

And light one candle to bind us together with peace as the song in our heart!”