BANGOR — This Hanukkah Bangor is seeing a surge in public displays of the holiday and Jewish identity, with many more families and individuals planning to light their menorahs in visible places such as their doors or windows. Chabad of Bangor will light a public 9-foot menorah erected at Pierce Park, followed by a community celebration on Thursday, Dec. 26 at 6 p.m., the second night of Hanukkah.
“At this fraught time for the Jewish community, with the war in Israel and American Jews facing a major rise in antisemitism, this year we are doing more to celebrate Hanukkah with joy and Jewish pride,” said Rabbi Chaim Wilansky. “The Menorah and Hanukkah represent freedom of the human spirit, freedom from tyranny and oppression, and the victory of good over evil.”
The ceremony will feature a menorah lighting and a dreidel drop as well as hot drinks and a selection of traditional Hanukkah foods. Throughout the state of Maine, Chabad-Lubavitch will be presenting dozens of Hanukkah events and celebrations, including public menorah lightings, car-top menorah parades, community gatherings, and more.
This year’s celebrations carry added significance as they mark 50 years since the first public menorah, which was lit at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia in 1974. The public menorah was lit after the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of blessed memory, launched the worldwide Hanukkah campaign in 1973 to build awareness and promote the observance of Hanukkah. Today, public menorahs and Hanukkah displays have become a staple of Jewish cultural and American public life, forever altering the American practice and perception of the festival.
This year’s Hanukkah campaign will be one of unprecedented light and joy, seeing Chabad reach more than 8 million Jews in more than 100 countries. Bangor’s menorah is one of over 15,000 large public menorahs throughout the world, including notable menorahs in front of the White House, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the St. Louis Arch, the Great Wall of China, and Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.
