Menorah lighting a chance for Waterloo region's Jewish community to 'feel a togetherness' in light of tragedy

Members of the Jewish community in Waterloo in southern Ontario celebrated the first night of Hanukkah on Sunday by lighting a massive five-metre-high menorah.

The celebration also had a reflective element following the mass shooting at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach in Australia earlier in the day, when at least 15 people were killed and at least 38 injured by two gunmen at Sydney's Bondi Beach.

Australian authorities said it was a terrorist attack designed to target the Jewish community.

Sarah Hazan, who attended the menorah gathering in uptown Waterloo, told CBC News that these types of events help people through difficult times.

"I think especially at this time with everything that's going on in the world, we just like to feel a togetherness and sense of community," she said.

Rivky Goldman, co-director of the Rohr Chabad Centre for Jewish Life in Waterloo and organizer of the event, said she and her husband, Rabbi Moshe Goldman, felt a "call to action to strengthen the community and not let everybody fall into despair."

"There wasn't a minute where we thought we were going to cancel the plans," she said.

The annual tradition saw people enjoying fried treats, including fried doughnuts filled with jelly called sufganiyot and potato latkes.

“Everything's fried because of the miracle of oil. So it's a cardiologist nightmare, but very delicious,” Rabbi Moshe Goldman told CBC K-W’s The Morning Edition on Friday ahead of Sunday’s event.

Oil plays a big role in Hanukkah because the story is that as Jewish rebels fought for their freedom under the tyrant king from Damascus 2,200 years ago, they reclaimed a holy temple in Jerusalem. To rededicate the temple, they needed oil to light the menorah.

They only had enough oil for one night, but miraculously, it lasted for eight days. During those eight days, they were able to obtain new oil and keep an eternal flame lit.

Goldman said the centre hoped to have many people in the community come out to the event, not just those who are Jewish.

Lighting the menorah and placing it in a window is a way to show others about a person’s beliefs. About 17 years ago, the Waterloo Chabad began lighting the large menorah locally, and “that sort of publicity element got supercharged.”

“Even though there was some reluctance, or hesitation or concern about how they would go and what the results would be, time has proven that it has been a wonderful thing for not only the Jewish community, but the broader community,” he said.