Chabad Jewish Center of Snohomish County held its 13th annual Menorah lighting ceremony on Sunday night to celebrate Hanukkah. In previous years, the ceremony was at Lynnwood City Hall, but this year it took place at the recently opened Lynnwood City Center light rail station, drawing hundreds of attendees.
The ceremony included the lighting of a 9-foot-tall menorah, live music from the Seattle-based Klez Katz Klezmer band, doughnuts, face painting, personal menorah kits and a “gelt drop” from South County Fire’s ladder truck.
Gelt is a gift of chocolate coins given during Hanukkah.
A number of Lynnwood public officials attended the event, including Mayor Christine Frizzell, Police Chief Cole Langdon and City Council President George Hurst.
Rabbi Berel Paltiel led the Menorah lighting. After the ceremony, he said that it symbolizes light and togetherness.
“That’s what this event means to me, making positive noise. Noise of energy, of goodness, of love. We believe that these lights have the power to bring people together,” Paltiel said.
Frizzell added in an interview that having the event in Lynnwood “shows how inclusive we are, it shows how welcome we are. People have come, not just from Lynnwood but from Shoreline, from Seattle, from places all around the Puget Sound because this is an amazing event,” she said.
Seattle resident Anna Yemets said she wanted Lynnwood residents to know how welcome she felt in their city. Yemets said the event really touched her, bringing her to tears.
“It is amazing because we are able to show Jewish pride and unity and have support from the community, which at this time is absolutely priceless,” Yemets said.
“Tonight’s turnout was beyond our imagination,” Paltiel said. “The bigger space brought more people, and I think people want to get out for happy things. We dealt with so much tragedy, people want to get out for good and happy things and that’s what this is about.”
According to a Chabad Jewish Center press release, this year’s ceremony marks 50 years since the first public Menorah was lit in the U.S., at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia in 1974.
‘If darkness makes noise, we need to make even more noise,” Paltiel said.
— Story and photos by Logan Bury
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