SCRANTON, Pa. — For its annual Hanukkah Street Festival, The Jewish Community Center of Scranton opened its doors to everyone.
Every year, The Jewish Community Center of Scranton hosts the festival on the first day of Hanukkah. Telling the story of the miracle of the oil.
“Finding that crude oil that wasn't contaminated by the Greeks in order to light the Menorah. What they thought they had was just one oil that would last one day and miraculously lasted for eight days,” said Dan Cardonick, JCC Executive Director.
“The victory of Hanukkah really is that we are able to maintain our identity, have our own practices, our own faith, and celebrate that with each other and with the broader world,” added Alex Hecht, Beth Shalom Congregation Rabbi.
The Jewish Community Center of Scranton makes this event free for the community so more people can learn about the origin story of Hanukkah.
“We're able to share our cultures, our traditions, our holidays and educate the greater community about our holiday. But also for them to be able to participate, enjoy and learn and have some fun,” added Cardonick.
Their goal is to have everyone of all religions participate in their many traditions to help understand the holiday and Judaism.
“We eat fried foods because of the oil. We eat fried donuts which we call Sufganiyah, and potato pancakes, also known as latkes,” Alma Schaffer, JCC Board Member.
And making families excited to light the first candle on the Menorah after the event.
“It does because it brings our family together. We usually play with dreidels, and sometimes you can win money if you win the game. It's fun; we all sing together after we light the Menorah. It's a very beautiful sight,” said Elisha Weiss from Scranton.
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