Congregation Ohav Sholom celebrates Hanukkah

Congregation Ohav Sholom in Merrick found festive ways to celebrate Hanukkah this past week. On Friday, the temple held a dinner for its Hebrew school children, parents and congregation members. This was followed by a carnival on Sunday for the children of Ohav Sholom, filled with games and puppet shows.

Finally, on Monday, the congregation held a solemn ceremony on the front steps of the temple, where about 100 community members watched Ohav Sholom members light a seven-foot menorah, sing songs and listen to Rabbi Ira Ebbin speak about the importance of being Jewish.

“To be Jewish means we have the opportunity to bring godliness into the world,” Ebbin said. “Lighting the menorah is just a beautiful way to do that. Just like how you take a little bit of light and pass it on to the next candle, that’s what we hope to do. Take a little bit of light and pass it on to the next person until the whole world is bright and full of God’s light.”

Despite the cold temperatures, residents stood patiently in observance throughout the ceremony. “We have wonderful neighbors all around,” Ebbin said. “I think it’s important that the Jews remember where they have come from and who they are, and there is mutual respect all around. I think that is the beauty of Long Island, and Merrick in particular, that you can have Christmas lights across the street and Hanukkah lights over here.”

“The lesson of Hanukkah is to recognize that there are miracles all the time,” Ebbin continued. “To have a state of Israel after 2,000 years, that’s a miracle. To have an orthodox congregation thriving in the midst of Long Island, that’s a miracle. These are things that we celebrate.”

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