North Adams Plans Menorah Ceremony To Mark Chanukah

Mayor Thomas Bernard invites all members of the North Adams community to mark the first night of Chanukah and to join in the city’s first annual menorah lighting this Sunday, December 2, at 5 P.M. The brief ceremony will be held in Dr. Arthur Rosenthal Square on West Main Street across from City Hall.

The menorah lighting will be held in partnership with Congregation Beth Israel and with the participation of Rabbi Rachel Barenblat.

I've lived in the city for over 20 years and this is the first public menorah display that I could recall.  I reached out to both Mayor Bernard and Director Of Community Events Suzy Helme and neither had any firm recollection of it happening before. Helme said that local historian Paul Marino also agreed. So it was deemed that this would be the first annual, starting a new holiday tradition in the city.

The lights of the menorah, lit during the eight days of Chanukah, represent the miracle of restoring light to the Temple in Jerusalem as it was rededicated during the second century B.C.E. Today the lights of Chanukah are a reminder of light and hope during dark times.